The Ziley Chronicles: First Blush
by ShadowBeauty
Summary: Zane and his sister Zoey are new to the school called Degrassi. While there Zane meets the mysterious Riley Stavros. He's charmed by him but Riley has a dark secret. And when Zane finds out, these two are in for the ride of their lives. Based on Twilight.
1. New Surroundings

**The Ziley Chronicles: First Blush**

**Chapter 1: New Surroundings **

As I closed my mom's car door, I looked around the yard. Canada was so much more different than L.A. But I'd get used to it. I would miss my friends and the gorgeous sights in Cali. I looked to my left to see my older sister Zoey grabbing her bag.

"Hey Zane, I think I might really like it here." she said. I rolled my eyes.

"I liked it better in L.A." I mumbled. Just then my mother Kim (the town judge) came down the stairs. She was wearing jeans and blue jacket.

"Come on kids, let's get you settled in." she said. I gave her my best smile. I wasn't exactly thrilled that I was here. If you ask me, there's nothing here. In L.A. there were tons of things to do. But here, nothing. My step-mother is in a band, so she and our dad travel a lot for her shows. Since we had to be in school, dad decided that it would be best to move to Canada with mom. So here we are.

"Zane let's go." Zoey called. I took my suitcases up to my room and began to unpack. My room looked the same since I had last been here.

"I hope you don't mind that I didn't change anything. I thought that maybe you'd want to do it yourself." she said with a smile.

"It's okay. It brings back a lot of good memories." I chuckled. She smiled and went back downstairs. I sat down on my bed and looked around my room. It had baby blue wallpaper and my favorite posters. I actually sort of missed this place too.

"Zane, can you come down here for a moment?" my mom yelled. I got up and looked out of the window. I saw a man, a boy, another teen just like me. He was actually kind of cute. I went back downstairs and outside.

"Is there something you needed?" I asked. Mom turned towards me and smiled.

"I just wanted to show you your welcome back present." she said tapping the roof of a tan 2002 Ford F250. I was incomplete shock.

"This is for me? No way." I said examining the truck.

"Well, I thought you and your sister should have your own cars. You guys are both old enough now, so. Oh you remember the Milligan's right?" she asked. I looked at the two boys. I believe the oldest one was my friend when we were younger.

"Remember me and you used to watch the big football games and drag races all the time." he said.

"Yeah, I remember. Owen, right?" He smiled at me.

"Yeah, and this is my little brother Tristan." Owen said gesturing to Tristan.

"Hi." he said.

"Hey."

"So how do you like it?" my mother asked.

"I love it, it's so me." I said as I entered the cab. I looked at how perfect this tuck was. I suited me very well. Owen got in on the passenger side.

"Okay, now remember, this is a big truck. So you're gonna have to make wide turns. Okay?" he said with his baby blue eyes gleaming.

"Sure. So what school do you go to?" I asked.

"Oh, Tristan and I go to Degrassi. He's a freshman and I'm a junior." he said. I was immediately happy.

"Cool, my sister and I are going there too. I'm a junior also. Zoey's a senior. Tomorrow's our first day." I said.

"Awesome. I could help guide you two around. You're gonna love it here." I smiled at him. Yeah maybe I would.

The next day, Zoey and I carpooled to Degrassi. It was raining outside. The streets were busy and wet. Zoey was pretty much texting everybody she knew.

"So how do you like Toronto?" she asked me.

"It's okay. I have an old friend that's gonna this day a lot better." I said.

"Oh, that's right, Owen. He's really cute. You two would make an awesome couple Zane." she said.

"Nah, I think being single is the best thing for me now." I said as we pulled up to the school. As we walked into the office we saw how big the school was. Everybody had their own cliques pretty much.

"Uh, hi. We're the Parks, we're new here." Zoey said to the secretary. This lady was probably in her mid-40's. She had long brown hair and wore professional glasses.

"Oh, okay. Let me just pull up your schedules. And… done. The printer is over there." she said gesturing to the printer. "I'm Mrs. Kolchak. Welcome to Degrassi. I hope you enjoy your first of many days to come." she said with a smile.

"Thanks." we said and left. As we walked down the hallway we saw Owen and Tristan.

"Hey guys." Owen called out. We stopped and waited for them to catch up with us. "So let me give you guys the grand tour." I smiled at him and followed. We saw the lunchroom, the gym, the computer lab. Even the memorial place for some kid named J.T who was killed. All in all it seemed like a pretty cool place.

"Alright now, let's see the scheds." Owen said. We handed him our schedules and waited for his response. "Okay, Zane you have gym with me. I'll take you there. Zoey you have the fashion class. Tristan will take you there." Owen said. Tristan smiled at Zoey and they both walked to their classes.

"Wow, gym. Not a big fan." I said.

"Seriously? I thought that maybe since you watched football…"

"That I'd be into the physicality of it? Nope not my thing." I finished for him.

"Hmm, well that might be a problem." he said. I looked over at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Whyyyy?" I asked afraid of what his answer might be. He gave me an uneasy smile.

"Because today we're playing flag football." he said. Oh _joy_. I thought to myself.

After spending the first half-hour of class avoiding being thrown the ball, it finally came to me. As I held the ball in my hands I looked for a quick escape. I threw the ball at an un-expecting team member. It bounced of her head like a penny bouncing of rubber. If that made any sense.

"I told them that I wasn't a big fan of this." I said to her. She turned around and smiled.

"It's okay. I've experienced a lot worse. You're that new guy, Alexander right?" she asked.

"Zane, and yeah I am. My sister goes here too." I said.

"Nice. I'm Marisol Lewis." she said.

"Nice to meet you." I said. Just then, a tall boy came over to us.

"He's got a good arm, huh? I'm K.C. just so you know." he said.

"Okay, I'm Zane Park, my sister is Zoey." I said.

"Cool. I heard you were from California. Aren't people from there supposed to be like, I don't know, really famous?" he asked.

"Well, maybe that's why I'm not there anymore." I smirked. They both started laughing.

"You're pretty funny." Marisol said. I smiled at them and walked back over to my gym spot. Okay, so gym isn't all that bad. I still don't like it though.

Later that day, I went to lunch. I could tell already that Zoey was enjoying herself. Almost every boy was drooling over her. I just shook my head. I went and sat down with some of my new friends. The table consisted of Me, Marisol, Imogen, K.C., Owen, Katie, and Conner.

"Hey, I see you've my boy Zane." Katie said. Marisol smiled at her.

"_Your _boy?" she asked playfully. Just then Jenna came over and took Marisol's apple from her.

"He's _my _boy!" she yelled as she kissed Zane on his cheek and ran away. Marisol went chasing after her. I have to admit, I was kind of uncomfortable.

"You'll get used to that." Katie said.

"Yeah, almost every attractive new kid has to go through it." Imogen said. I gave her slight smile. She then took my picture. I was blinded for a minute because of the flash.

"Sorry, I had to get a picture for the school newspaper." she said.

"It's okay. What type of stories do you use?" I asked.

"All sorts. But I mainly like human interest pieces. You know, like drugs and alcohol?" she said. I nodded my head. "I'm kind of stuck right now."

"Well how about depression or steroid use on the football team?" I suggested. She smiled and nodded her head.

"That's an excellent suggestion." she said.

"See, it's only your first day and you've already made friends." Owen said and nudged my shoulder. I smiled back at him and then looked out the window. I saw the strangest kids come walking by it.

"What's the story with them?" I asked. Imogen and K.C turned around and looked.

"The Stavros's. They're um, Professor and Mrs. Stavros's kids. Only one is theirs but the other four are adopted. They moved down here from Astoria, Oregon a few years ago. They're really connected." Imogen said.

"Yeah, they're beyond connected. The four adopted kids are dating. It's weird." K.C. said turning up his face.

"They're not really related. So it doesn't matter." Imogen said.

"It's still kind of creepy." he said. I watched as a big muscular guy with short brown hair and a girl with long curly strawberry blonde hair walked by us.

"That's Adonis and Arabella. Their dating. I think that's incest." K.C. said.

"Dude, they're adopted. There's nothing wrong with that." Conner said. K.C. just rolled his eyes. The next couple was different. The girl had shoulder length auburn hair. The guy had strawberry blonde hair too.

"Those two right there, that's Langston and Chloe. Langston and Arabella are extremely weird. Arabella's always doom and gloom. And sort of conceited, while Langston is always happy. Langston and Arabella are twins, by the way." K.C. said. Then all of a sudden I saw the most gorgeous guy. He had dirty blonde hair. If it was long it would've been curly. But it was short and neat.

"What about him?" I asked. Everyone looked towards him. Imogen and Katie immediately started blushing.

"That's Riley Stavros. He's a Greek God. But no one here is up to his standards." Katie said sadly.

"Like we care anyway." Imogen added. "On second thought I do care. He's hot." I looked towards him. He looked sort of depressed and it was as if he didn't want to be bothered.

"He seems… different." I said.

"Yeah, he is. But don't waste your time. Almost everyone has tried to get with him. Even me, but he turned a lot of people down." Katie said. I looked back at him again and he was looking back at me.

"Oh, don't worry. I'm not gonna try anything." I said. But I did look at him again. We stared at each other as if we were speaking telepathically. There was just something about him that did something to me. Maybe it was nothing… or maybe not.

**A/N: I hoped you enjoyed my version of Twilight. There's more to come. Just hit review and more will be up soon.**


	2. Awkward First Meeting

**Chapter 2: Awkward First Meeting**

Marisol and I walked to our Algebra class together. I have to admit this day was kind of alright. But it still couldn't compete with my old school.

"Alright Zane, here it is. The teacher isn't all that bad." Marisol said as she entered the classroom. The teacher looked like she was a college student. Her child like posture was absolutely riveting. She had wavy brunette hair and stunning grey eyes.

"Oh, you must be Zane." She said with a smile. I couldn't help but smile back at her.

"Um, yeah that's me." I said. I handed her my schedule and looked around the room. That Riley guy was looking at me intensely. It made me nervous, so I looked away.

"Okay Zane, here's your book. Go sit over there by Riley." She said. How the hell did I know that she was gonna say that? I gave her a quick smile and sat beside Riley. He seemed just as nervous as I was, at least I think so. He had the look of utter pain and sickness on his perfect face. At first I thought he was gonna be sick, but I don't think it was that. I made a quick gesture to make sure that I didn't smell or anything. I smelt pretty good actually. So why was he staring at me with such at and rage? The clock seemed to tick fast. 15 minutes had gone by, and he was still staring at me. The bell tolled and he flew out of there like a bat out of hell. I grabbed my books and walked out of the classroom. I ran into Owen on the way out.

"Hey dude. So how's your day going?" he asked as we walked down the hall.

"It _was_ going fine. But that Riley guy, he just kept staring at me the entire time." I said. Owen scrunched up his face.

"People say that they're weird anyway. So just ignore it. And if that doesn't work, tell someone about it." I nodded my head in agreement.

It was finally the end of the day and Zoey and I walked to the reception desk. Mrs. Kolchak was talking to Riley when we entered.

"Is that the guy you were talking about?" Zoey asked. I nodded my head yes. "He's cute."

"Can't you go a few minutes without saying someone's cute?" I asked with a smile. Zoey just shrugged.

"I could, but I'm not gonna." She said and playfully hit my shoulder.

"There has to be something else. What about Geometry or advanced Trig?" Riley asked. Mrs. Kolchak just shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Riley. But with your grades being as high as they are, you wouldn't need to take any advanced classes. So there's nothing I can do." She said. Riley wasn't pleased with that at all.

"Fine, I'll just have to tolerate it." He said and sort of shoved past us. Zoey was pissed.

"Okay, so being cute doesn't mean that he gets to be a total ass." She said. I just sighed.

"Enjoying your day, you two?" Mrs. Kolchak asked.

"We _were_." Zoey said with frustration. Mrs. Kolchak started to frown.

"Aw, what happened?" Mrs. Kolchak asked.

"It's nothing." I said. Zoey gave me an 'Are you serious?' look.

"Zane-" she began but I cut her off.

"It's _nothing_." I said again. She was finally defeated.

"If there's anything you two need just let me know." Mrs. Kolchak said.

"Sure, thing." I said as I pulled Zoey out of the office. When we were out in the truck she let me have it.

"Dude, if that Riley kid is giving you problems you should tell someone about it." She said. I just started the truck and pulled out of the parking lot.

"I know that Zo, but I'm fine. Nothing is gonna get me down." I assured her. She still didn't look like she bought what I was selling, but she left it alone. "So how was your day?"

"I thought you'd never ask. So, I'm sitting in Physics right and this girl…" she went on and on. The best part about being me is that I have the natural ability to block out what people are saying. It works a lot, because when you have a sister like Zoey, you need it _a lot._ I pulled up to the house and got out. It was still raining. Man, it rained more here than a little bit. I missed my sunshine.

"You know what I mean?" Zoey asked. Since I had totally blocked her out, I simply nodded my head. "People can drive you nuts." I know how she feels. When we were inside I saw mom reading the newspaper.

"What's going on in the world today?" I asked. She laid the paper down and got up.

"Nothing much, just people doing stupid stuff." She said as she took down her bun, letting her long black hair fall to center of her back.

"It's a good thing you're a judge, huh?" I asked. She smiled and tapped my shoulder. I went into the kitchen and poured myself some water. Zoey came in and sat at the island.

"Mom, Degrassi is so cool. I've made tons of friends already. And maybe even a boyfriend." She said. Mom gave her a serious look.

"Mm, your father isn't gonna like that very much, now is he?" her hard face then turned into a smile.

"Well, it's not concrete yet, but I'm working on it." Zoey said. As they had their 'girl talk' all I could think about was Riley. He freaked me out and intrigued me at the same time. I don't know what to call that exactly. I could literally describe every detail on his pale face. He didn't have a bump or scars at all. He was literally perfect. There was something strange about him too. The way he stared at me just wasn't natural. His black eyes almost stared through me.

"Zane is something wrong?" my mom asked snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Oh, no, I'm fine. Just thinking is all." I replied. Later that night, I paced my room. There was something strange about that Riley guy. I didn't know what his problem was, but tomorrow, I sure as hell was gonna find out.

**A/N: Here's chapter 2. Like it, hate it. Let me know. I plan on doing a full four stories just like the Twilight Saga. And yes, Allstar, Owen is equivalen to Jacob, just like Zane is to Bella, and Riley is to Edward. This story will be good. Read and Review. And i'll have another chapter up soon. XOXO ShadowBeauty.**


	3. Unexpected

**Chapter 3: Unexpected**

As I walked through the hectic hallways of Degrassi, I saw Owen. I walked right up to him and leaned against the lockers.

"Hey, Owen." I said. He stopped putting the books in his locker and looked in my direction.

"Hi, buddy what's up?" he asked. I just shrugged. I still had Riley on my mind though.

"Eh, nothing much. I plan on confronting Riley today." I said proudly. He raised his eyebrows in shock.

"Really? No one ever talks to them. I mean not like in an actual conversation."

"Well then, today, I make history." I said with a chuckle. The day went on pretty much the same. I had P.E., Intro Research, and Computer Illustration; the usual. It was finally time for lunch. As I exited Mr. Lampson's class, I headed for the cafeteria. I was finally gonna settle this. Marisol came up behind and squealed in my ear.

"So I just aced this totally boring pop quiz today…" and everything else was blah, blah, blah from then on. When I finally reached my destination, I looked around. What I saw isn't what surprised me; it was who I didn't. Riley wasn't there. The day that I decided to confront him and he's just not here? Maybe he's in the bathroom. I got my usual lunch and sat with my friends. I would glance at the 'Holy Stavros' table every so often. The bell for lunch to end finally rang and there was still no sign of Riley anywhere. Even in Algebra he was gone. Well, there's always tomorrow.

So many days had passed that I had actually lost count. Riley still hadn't been to school. I hope he wasn't too sick. What, what am I saying? The guy pretty much burns holes in my skin the first day and shoves past me because he can't transfer out of the same class I'm in and I'm feeling sorry for him? Yep, that's it. I saw Adonis walking down the hall and I decided to approach him.

"Hey, um, Adonis right?" I asked. He looked at and smiled.

"Yes, what's it to ya?" he asked rudely.

"Is Riley okay? I haven't seen him in a few days-"

"Why is this my concern?" he asked. I was completely taken aback by his behavior.

"Well, Riley and I have Algebra together and I hadn't seen him so… I thought that maybe he was sick or something." I explained.

"Just mind your own business…" he said and closed his locker. "Okay?" He then walked away. Okay, that was weird. Just then there was a slight tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see that it was Arabella.

"Hi, Arabella." I said.

"Look, don't mind Adonis, he just lets the handsomeness get to his head sometimes. But Riley is just fine; personal issues. He'll be back before you now it." she said and walked away too. Man that family is weird.

When I got back home, I talked to Zoey for a while and went to my room. I couldn't help but wonder where Riley was. It's not that I was obsessed, but it just seemed weird to miss so many days of school. Hopefully he'd be back tomorrow. While I was so deep in thought I didn't notice Zoey come in my room.

"Hey, Dad and Layla want to talk to us via web chat." she said happily. I got off of my bed and turned on the computer. Once everything was set up we started to talk to dad.

"So guys, how's your new school?" he asked.

"I love it and the boys are so cute." Zoey screamed. Dad had that uneasy look.

"Be very careful Zoey, I still don't trust boys' yet." he said. Layla then came into view.

"Oh honey, lighten up. She's 18 now. She'll be graduating soon and she will eventually have a boyfriend. Maybe even a husband. Right Zo?" Layla asked. Zoey nodded her head. The things these women talked about. Thank god for being about to block my mind from it.

"So, Zane, what's up with you? You haven't said a word." dad said.

"Everything's fine. The kids are very homey. They make me feel like this is my real home." I lied smoothly. Dad and Layla smiled.

"So, where are you guys now?" Zoey asked. Layla looked around for a sign.

"Ah, we're in Colorado. I love it here. We might even look for a house." she said. Dad furrowed his eyebrows. After about an hour of talking about our stay here and what's going on with them, we decided that it was time for bed.

"We love you guys! See you soon." they shouted. I turned off my computer and sat on my bed. Zoey came over and laid down beside me.

"You really miss Cali, don't you?" she asked. I nodded my head and turned towards her. She rubbed her hands through her thick black hair. Us Parks were known for our dazzling smiles and great hair. "Look, I miss it too. But we had school and we couldn't just be left home alone. And we both know that being home schooled on the road wasn't that cool either."

"Yeah I understand. It's just that, there's something about this town… I can't put my finger on it." I said. Zoey leaned up on one arm.

"Really? Like what?" she asked.

"Like the Stavros'. Did you ever notice how pale they were?" I asked.

"Well, maybe they're albino." She chuckled.

"No, it's something else. I'm gonna find out what it is when I go to school." I said. Zoey shook her head.

"You are just like 'Nancy Drew'. Always wanting to figure stuff out, instead of just leaving it alone. But hey, I gotta give you props. You never give up and most of the time, you find what you're looking for." she said and left closing my room door.

Once again, the day went one as usual. The girls tried their best to flirt with me. It's really annoying when you think about it. But I just brush it off. I ran into Tristan coming out of the bathroom.

"Hey dude, is Riley here today?" I asked. Tristan nodded his head. I took a breath of relief. Okay, now I finally get to see what the deal is with him. "Thanks."

When it was time for lunch I saw him with his family. He had a different glow to him today. It was as if those past few days changed him. I sat with my friends and listened to their gossip. I waited patiently for the bell to ring and when it did, I flew out of my chair and went to Algebra. When I entered the classroom, I saw him. He still had that look of disappointment on his face. I took my assignment and sat down beside him. I _was_ gonna just straight up ask him my questions, but decided to play it cool.

"Alright boys, you two are partners. Find x of these 30 problems and whoever gets it right first wins." Mrs. Wenger said. Great we were partners. Now he had to talk to me.

"Hi…" he said timidly. I looked at him and smiled. "I'm Riley Stavros. You're Alexander Park?" he asked. I hated when people called me by my full name. I'm gonna have to get that changed when I'm 18.

"Uh, just Zane." I said.

"I apologize for my behavior last week. It wasn't like me and it was rude." he said looking sad. Wow he was gorgeous.

"It's quite alright. I'm just glad we're speaking on good terms." I said. He then let out a hearty laugh. "You were gone for a while."

"Yeah about that, I… my friend Blaine was having trouble with something. Personal reasons really." he said. I nodded my head in understanding.

"Oh, this answer is 5." I said.

"May I check and see for myself?" he asked. I shrugged. When he went to grab the paper he touched my hand, I literally felt a spark. He quickly moved his hand away.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked.

"No, it was just a shock. No biggie." I reassured him. He looked relieved and continued to focus on the equation.

"Alright, 5 it is." he said with a smirk.

"See, I told you." I replied.

"So, um, are you liking Toronto?" he asked. Wow that was random.

"You're seriously asking if I like it here?" I asked with a quizzical look. The look on his face made it seem like he had overstepped his boundaries.

"Yeah, I am." he said matter of fact. I have to admit, he's brave.

"I guess so. I mean I don't have much of a choice." I said. He looked up at me and handed me the paper.

"Here check these. And everybody has a choice." he said.

"Well I didn't. You see, my dad married a musician and she plays a lot of shows. So with all the traveling and stuff, my dad felt it would be better if my sister and I stayed with my mom here. And these are correct, by the way." I explained.

"Oh. Do you like your step mom?"

"Layla? Yeah she's okay." I said.

"I'm sorry for the 50 questions. I'm just trying to understand you better." he said. That's weird, it seems like he was blushing, but I didn't see any red around his cheeks. Hmm. When the bell rang we exited the classroom. We had won by the way. As we walked to my locker I noticed that his eyes were a different color.

"That's funny?" I said. He looked at me with a strange look.

"What?"

"Your eyes were black, the last time I saw you. And now they're like this golden-brownish color." I said. I could see that he was trying to come up with some sort of answer.

"It's the way the lights are…um" and then he walked away. As I stood there and watched him leave, I couldn't help but wonder what was his function. Some things just didn't add up. Once I was across the parking lot of Degrassi, I took out some of my homework. The page I was looking for had something that I needed on it. And clumsy me, I dropped my paper and it blew away. I quickly threw my things in my truck and went after it. It blew into the street. I looked both ways and walked in the middle of the street to retrieve it. When I successfully had it in my hands, I looked up and saw Riley staring at me. For that split second I didn't even realize that I was still in the street. But I soon realized this when I turned around and saw a semi-truck heading towards me.

**A/N: Ooh they finally meet. And there's a spark? Now for all of you who've seen Twilight, you all know what happens next. But if not, just hit review. You'll see it soon. Oh and to Jokestar Marisol is like Mike, Imogen is like Angela, and K.C is like Jessica. **


	4. Drop It

**Chapter 4: Drop It **

As the truck got closer, I was in shock. I couldn't move or speak. Death was so close. I closed my eyes and it soon felt as if I was flying. My feet were no longer touching the ground. I just felt like I was swaying in the breeze. When it suddenly came to a stop, I opened my eyes to see Riley standing over me. As we stared into each other's eyes, which felt like an eternity, he leaned down and whispered in my ear.

"Be careful next time." And then he was gone. The truck had stopped and the driver was coming over to me.

"Are you alright? God, I'm so sorry. I didn't even see you." He apologized.

"It's okay, really." I said. The rest of the students came over to me too. Owen and Marisol were instantly by my side. Zoey appeared after.

"My god, what happened?" she asked.

"I had to get that paper. It was important." I said. Owen had his phone out.

"I'm calling 911."

So I'm sitting in a boring hospital room waiting for my doctor and my mother. Zoey came in the room and smiled.

"Hey, bro. Feeling alright?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah. Just fine actually. Where's mom?" She came over and sat beside me.

"She's in the hallway talking to you doctor." Zoey said. My mother then walked in.

"Oh, my baby." she said kissing my forehead. "You okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine mom. Really."

"I should have a word with that truck driver." she said menacingly. Just like a mother lion protecting her cub.

"_No_, that's so not necessary. I'm fine." I reassured her. "When's the doctor coming in?"

"I'm right here, Mr. Park." A lady with curly dirty blonde hair and gold eyes said as she entered the room. Why does that look so familiar?

"Zane, this is Elena Stavros." my mom said. Zoey and I both made O's with our mouths.

"So you're Riley's mom?" I asked. She stopped looking at her clipboard and smiled at me.

"Yes, yes I am." she said earnestly. I was speechless. Well the kids at school did say she was a Professor. But I didn't know she was a doctor too.

"Wow, the Stavros' have a doctor in the family? No wonder they're so smart." Zoey said. Mrs. Stavros chuckled.

"Yeah, but anyway Alexander…"

"Zane. Just Zane please." I said.

"Okay, Zane, follow my finger." she said and shined a light in my eye. I felt like a kid again. "Alright, well you might get some PTS or feel a little weak or sick for the next few days. But all in all you're fine." She said with a warm smile.

"And to think, if Riley wasn't there to push me out of the way, I would've been seriously hurt or worse." I said. I saw her expression go from calm to anxious.

"Riley, isn't he your son?" My mom asked.

"Yeah he is. I must reward him for what he did." Mrs. Stavros said.

"He got over to me so quickly and he was like, way across the lot." I said. Mrs. Stavros let out a deep breath. I could tell something bothered her.

"Well, it seems like luck has struck for you. Have a good day you three." she said and then left. I picked up my coat and walked towards the door.

"Wow, Riley saved you?" Zoey asked.

"Yup." She then furrowed her eyebrows. "What?"

"You said he was way across the lot. I'm just wondering how the hell he got over to you so fast?" she said and walked ahead of me. My mom grabbed my shoulder when we entered the lobby.

"You should call your dad." she said. Wait, she didn't.

"Please tell me that you didn't tell him?" I pleaded. She had that guilty look on her face.

"I'm gonna go fill out some forms. I'll meet you in the car." she said and then walked off. Zoey came around the corner with a can of pop.

"Well, now I see where you ran off to." I said eyeing her drink.

"Don't worry I got you one too." she said and tossed me a can. "So you gonna call dad or what?" I pulled out my IPhone, but before I could dial the number Zoey and I heard some bantering. I gave her a look that said, 'we should check this out.' She immediately understood and we both peered around the corner. It was Professor Stavros, Adonis, and Riley.

"Dude, do you know how many people saw what happened today?" Adonis asked. Riley just looked at the ground.

"What was I supposed to do? Let him be crushed? His family would've been devastated. We're good people; we help out when we can. Why do you think mom works at a hospital?" he asked.

"This isn't about you. What you did could cause problems for the family, Riley." Adonis said.

"If you just get off of your high horse, you'd see that what I did was heroic. Now maybe you wouldn't have done it…"

"Yes I would!" Adonis sort of yelled but calmed down.

"Look, I did what I thought was best. Get over it pretty boy." Riley said.

"Wow, they fight more than we do." Zoey whispered. I nodded my head in agreement. Then all of a sudden Mrs. Stavros caught us.

"Guys why don't we take this into my office. Your dad is gonna be so proud what you did." Mrs. Stavros said. I couldn't let this go, I had so many questions.

"Riley! Can I talk with you for a second?" They all seemed hesitant but nodded for him to go. Zoey whispered in my ear.

"I'll talk to you when we get home. I want to hear every detail." she said and then left. When he approached me, he smiled a crooked smile.

"What is it?" he asked.

"How'd you get to me in like, lightning speed?" I asked.

"I was on my way over to see you. But before I could get to you, you ran off to go get that paper." he explained. Uh-uh no, something wasn't adding up.

"No you weren't. When I last looked you were by your siblings. _Across_ the lot." I said.

"No you misunderstood. You probably have PTS or something…" I had to cut him off there.

"Are you trying to tell me what I saw? Because I _know _what I saw." I said matter of fact.

"And what is it that you _saw _exactly?" he asked. This dude was really pissing me off.

"I saw you knock me out of the way of that truck. You were moving at lightning speed." I said.

"You had your eyes closed, the entire time. How could you have seen anything?" he asked. Well he did have a point. But I wasn't gonna let him win.

"But I did open my eyes to find you standing over me. The truck was so close to me that I could literally smell the engine stuff. And then all of a sudden I'm whisked away and I open my eyes to see _you_." He seemed confused. "Yeah poke a hole through that logic."

"Well, it's not like anyone's gonna believe you so…"

"Okay first, I'm not gonna tell anyone and second you're _admitting _it?" I said as I caught his honesty.

"No! Can't you just be grateful that I saved your life and drop it?" he asked.

"I am grateful. But I just wanna know the truth. I deserve that much from my savior." I said.

"You're not gonna drop it are you?" he asked with a slight smile.

"Nope." I said challenging him.

"Well then, if disappointment is what you want, then that's what you're gonna get." he said and walked off. As I stared after him, I began to run through different scenarios in my head. What is wrong with that boy?

That night while I was in my room studying for my Computer Illustration class, Zoey poked her head in the door.

"Hey, I said to give me details when we got home." she said as she walked in.

"There's not much to tell." I said. I promised Riley that I'd keep this a secret and I meant it.

"Boo, I was looking forward to it. But hey, look what I brought?" she said as she pulled in a cart with two pieces of Red Velvet cake.

"Wow, you and your cravings." I said to her. She picked up the plates and sat down on my bed.

"Mmm, this is so good." she mumbled. I ate my pieces and thought about Riley some more. The things he did, the way his family acted, the way they all looked. There was something not right about them.

_Riley, why can't you tell me the truth? _

_Because it's nothing that concerns you!_

_But I have the right to know!_

_Stay out of it Zane! _

I awoke in my bed covered in sweat. When I looked up, I saw Riley. He was literally in my bedroom. My eyes widened and I went to turn on the light. But when I looked over to where he originally stood at he was gone. I leaned up and rubbed my hands through my hair. Was I dreaming about Riley? Its official there was definitely something there.

**A/N: Alright people chapter 4. Getting good huh? Ah, the hospital scene. I love the witty banter between Adonis and Riley. And then Riley and Zane. It's getting closer and closer to the big reveal guys. But I'm still following the Twilight movie so it might take a minute. Oh and a shout out to Meagan. Thanks for the kinds words. Oh and to answer your question, Conner's gonna be Eric and Jake's gonna be Tyler. Read and Review. XOXO ShadowBeauty.**


	5. Field Trip

**Chapter 5: Field Trip**

Zoey and I arrived at school that morning prepared for our field trip. As I sat in the truck, I leaned back and started to think. Now I'm dreaming about Riley? I honestly didn't know what to make of that.

"I see you have on that thinking face. What is it about?" Zoey asked.

"I'm just trying to figure things out." I said. She then grabbed her purse and exited the truck.

"Come on, we have to go." she said and shut the door. I sighed and got out too. I leaned against my truck and watched as she went over to her friends, Hannah, Jenna, Mo, and Dave. She was like the queen bee in her group. As I looked across the street I thought about yesterday. I remembered everything perfectly. I went out into the road, grabbed my paper and then saw the truck coming for me. I closed my eyes and then when I opened them, he was there. There is definitely something going down there.

"Hi." Marisol said in a sing-song voice.

"Hey." I said.

"So I was wondering, since it's you know, a few months away; I was wondering if you had a date to the Junior Prom?" she asked and then blushed. Wow, she has it bad. I was just about to reply when I saw Riley staring at me. It was as if he were trying to tell me to say no or listen in on the conversation. As if he could hear it from that far. We had like this intense stare down. It was obviously a long one because Marisol asked again.

"So what do you think? Do you have a date to prom?"

"I uh, see I don't like dancing. I'm disaster on the dance floor. Besides I have to go away that weekend. My dad's in Colorado." I said. I saw her face fall.

"Oh, well, can't you go another weekend?" she asked hopeful.

"Sorry, but those tickets are non-refundable." I said with a warm smile. Her face began to drop even more. I quickly thought of something.

"Why don't you ask K.C.? He seems to have the hots for you." I said as we looked towards K.C. He smiled and waved.

"Yeah, maybe you're right. And he is kind of cute." she said.

"Alright kids, let's go." Miss. O said.

"Well, let's get a move on." I said.

Meanwhile, at the Natural History museum, we looked at all kinds of interesting pieces. I personally love art and reading. It's just something about reading that intrigues me. I feel like I'm actually there. I was looking at the Mona Lisa when Zoey appeared beside me.

"Oh my god, Riley hasn't stopped looking at you since we left school." she said.

"How'd you know he was looking at me at school?" I asked.

"Not important, I think he likes you or wants to eat you. I can't really tell." she said.

"Well I don't really want to know. But thanks for having my back." I said.

"Anytime bro, so I heard that Marisol asked you to the Prom. You gonna go?" she asked.

"Uh no. You know I can't dance. You saw what happened at Dad and Layla's wedding." I said as I stared at the Mona Lisa.

"I honestly don't know what you see in art. Who's this lady?" she asked.

"Seriously? You don't know the Mona Lisa?" I asked.

"Nope."

"Ugh."

"It looks like someone farted and she cocked a smile at the last minute." Zoey said then chuckled. I couldn't help but laugh at her dimwittedness. When I turned around Riley was walking over to me.

"Um, can we talk?" he asked. Zoey took the hint and walked off.

"Sure." I said we began to look at some other paintings.

"So what's in Colorado?" he asked. How the…?

"How'd you know about that?" I asked.

"That's not the answer I asked for." he said.

"Well you never give me any of the ones I want either." I snapped. "And besides, you barely acknowledged me in school anyways."

"Well hi, I'm Riley Stavros. Now answer my question." I raised my eyebrow. "Please?" he asked with a smile. We began to descend the stairs with the rest of the class to the second floor.

"Not until you tell me how you were able to push me out of the way in the nick of time." I said.

"Okay, it was by the grace of God. He works in mysterious ways you know. And I guess it wasn't your time." he said. Sure like that was convincing.

"Bull. But alright, one of my step-mom's shows is there…" I suddenly missed a step and he grabbed my arm.

"Could you try not to put yourself in danger so much!" he snapped. I snatched my arm away from him in anger. "Look, I'm sorry for being an ass. But I really think that it's easier this way and…"

"Hey Zane, K.C. asked me to prom." Marisol said. I looked at Riley and he walked away. Damn it! So close.

"That's awesome. I knew he would." I said.

When the trip was over we headed out to the bus. I met up with Imogen and Owen. We talked about how interesting the arts were. Imogen and I had gotten real close over the past few weeks.

"So yeah, Connor and I are getting mighty close." she said. Owen rolled his eyes.

"Yeah right, maybe you should just ask him already." he said.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yeah, why not. You're a beautiful and intriguing person. He has to say yes." I said. She smiled the biggest smile ever. I waved to her and Owen before walking over to my bus. On my way over to the bus I ran into Riley, again.

"Zane, we can't be friends." he said. I was so confused by this guy.

"Okay let's get one thing straight, we're _not_ friends nor do we know each other that well. And you know what; you should've come to this decision a lot sooner. I mean hey, you could've just let me be hit. Then you wouldn't have to deal with me anymore." I said.

"You think I don't want to deal with you?" he asked.

"I can see that you don't. But what I'm trying to figure out is why?" I said and looked at the ground.

"You know nothing!" he snapped. Just then Langston and Chloe arrived.

"Hey Zane, you riding this bus too?" Chloe asked all smiles.

"Nope." Riley said before I could reply. He then entered the bus with Chloe and Langston on his tail.

"Ignore his rude behavior." Langston said with a warm smile. I couldn't help but return it.

When I got home that day, I entered the basement and watched my mom fold clothes. I remember how I used to do this when I was little. It brought back so many memories.

"What's up sport?" she asked.

"Dad called again. And I blame you." I said with a smile.

"Okay, but you are his only son, just like Zoey is his only daughter. He's very protective of you guys." she said while folding up a shirt. "But hey, he's happy and so am I." I couldn't help but notice the change in her demeanor.

"Why do I get the feeling that we're not talking about dad anymore." I said.

"Layla seems like she's a lovely woman. I hope she's been nice to you and your sister." She said with a serious look completely ignoring what I previously said.

"Yeah she is." I said nervously. I didn't really like talking about Layla to my mom considering the fact that my mom might still have feelings for my dad.

"Good. Now go upstairs and get ready for dinner." she said. I did as I was told and headed upstairs.

At school the next day, I walked into the cafeteria and saw _him_. I couldn't help but stare at them. They would always get food, but never really ate it, hmm. I walked over to my table and sat down.

"Okay so we should like totally go to the lake tomorrow." Owen said.

"The lake?" I asked.

"Yeah, we're going tomorrow." Imogen said.

"You should too. It'll give us a chance to all hang out." Katie said.

"Yeah." Owen said with a bit of hope in his voice.

"Sure why not." I said and got up top get something to eat. I decided that I wanted a fruit salad. I was just about to put the finishing touches on the salad when I was startled by a familiar voice. I knocked over my apple and with no problem at all, it bounced off of Riley's shoe and landed in his hand.

"I see someone likes to play with their food." he said with a crooked smile. "Zane."

"Thanks." I said taking the apple. "Are you bi-polar? One minute you're all nice and then next you're this… I don't even know what to call it. It's taking me for a whirl." I said.

"Look, when I said that we can't be friends, I didn't mean that I wouldn't like to be." he said.

"I'm lost." I said.

"What I'm trying to say is that, if you knew better you'd avoid me at all costs." he said.

"Okay, then let's pretend I'm dumb. Are you gonna tell me what's going on?" I asked.

"Sorry, can't do that. It would be nicer to hear what you're thinking." he said.

"Okay, I've thought of things like the aliens or I don't know bionics." I said.

"Isn't that like stuff off of TV?" he asked. I nodded my head. "Look, this is real. What if I wasn't what you thought I was?"

"Oh? I can see through you. You put up walls to keep people from getting in. You're like a bank vault. Heavily guarded." I said. He looked hurt for a few moments.

"Maybe you're right." he said.

"Why don't you come to the lake with us? I mean you look like you could use the fun." I said.

"I don't know. I'm not really big on fun." he said. Definitely my type.

"Well, try. If you can't come I'll understand." I said. He smiled and then walked off. This just might be a date after all.


	6. Urban Legends

**Chapter 6: Urban Legends**

It was actually sunny outside for once as I prepared myself for the lake trip. I'm not really all that big on swimming or anything that involves me in sports. I'm a quiet guy. I read and like art, so swimming or football is definitely out. Zoey would always laugh at that.

"Yo Z, let's move. I want to show off my new bikini." she said coming into my room.

"You know, you come in my room an awful lot." I said with a smirk. She was looking into my full length mirror.

"That's because you have the coolest mirror." she said while fixing her hair. Ugh, for a big sister, she sure doesn't act like one. But I wouldn't trade her for anything in the world. "And besides, I look awesome in _this_ mirror." Is it too late to take back my last statement? I shook my head at her.

"Look sister dear, I don't think that you should wear that. It makes you look kind of show-offish." I said. She just kept looking into the mirror. God, she's worse than Adonis Stavros.

"I know, but I think that Jake might ask me out." she said and squealed.

"Well, then I guess that's a good way to get a guy's attention." I said sarcastically.

"I know right?" she asked. She obviously didn't get sarcasm. I rolled my eyes and put on my jacket. Zoey immediately stopped what she was doing and came over to me.

"Are you nuts?" she asked.

"What?"

"You're actually going out like that?" I looked at my outfit. I had on blue-jean shorts, a blue t-shirt, and low-top sneakers. I also had on my Joe Boxer hoody.

"I look fine." I said. She just shook her head.

"Zane, I heard about the Riley thing. You asked him out. I believe that if you dress to impress, that maybe you could get a boyfriend." she said.

"Uh, I'm not like you. I don't want to dress to impress. If I want him to like me, then I'll just be myself." I said proudly.

"Ugh, my brother the poet." She said and then left. I thought I looked pretty damn good. I grabbed my copy of _The Host_ by Stephanie Meyer. I have to admit she was a good writer. I ran downstairs and kissed my mom and was just about to head out the door when she stopped me.

"Hey, be careful out there okay? There have been some murders around town lately. Officer Milligan said that it might be an animal." she said.

"Seriously?" I asked.

"Yeah. This isn't L.A. Zane, so animals can be dangerous. Just promise me you'll be careful." Zoey joined me shortly after she asked that.

"Yeah we'll be careful." I said.

"Don't worry I'll protect him." Zoey said as she put her arm around my shoulder. I gave her a wicked look. She smiled innocently and led me out the door.

We were at the lake for about 20 minutes. I watched as everybody jumped in and out of the water. Jake climbed to the top of a cliff and looked towards Zoey and smiled.

"You can do it dude!" Conner yelled. I watched as Jake cannon-balled into the water. I looked around hoping that maybe Riley would show. But of course, he didn't. I don't know why that hurt me so much. But it did.

"If you're looking for Riley, he's not coming. When it's sunny or nice like this, his family is never around. I believe its allergies or something." K.C. said.

"They could be allergic to sunlight." Conner said. We all just stared at him. "What? Haven't you seen that episode of House, when that girl was allergic to the sun?" We all shook our heads no. Conner just sighed. While I was reading my book, Owen came over to me with his friends Drew and Pauly.

"Hey, dude. You're not going for a dip?" he asked.

"Nope, I'd rather read. Not so into swimming." I replied.

"Yeah, you should totally stay here with him. His date cancelled." K.C. said. Owen and Katie were immediately alert.

"What date?" they both asked.

"He asked Riley to come." K.C. said. I started to blush.

"I was just trying to get him to come out of his shell." I said honestly.

"I thought it was very noble. I mean, nobody really talks to them." Imogen said.

"That's because their abnormal." Pauly said with a chuckle. Drew joined in.

"Wait, you know them?" I asked. Drew and Pauly's smiles disappeared fast.

"They aren't welcome here." Pauly said and rolled his eyes. Okay, this was getting stranger and stranger. Owen sat down beside and looked at my book.

"Ah, a bookworm huh?" he asked. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Hey, let's go for a walk, hmm?" he suggested. I couldn't say no to that face. He was after all one of my best friends. I put my book down and got up. We walked around for a bit.

"I have a question." Owen looked at me and then looked at the ground.

"Yes?" he asked.

"So, um what did Pauly mean by the Stavros's aren't welcome here?" I asked.

"Oh, you managed to hear that part huh?" he said. I nodded my head. "Well, it's kind of a secret." Ugh! How I despised secrets.

"My lips are sealed." I said.

"It's just an urban legend." he said.

"I like these sorts of things. Come on tell me." I pushed. He smiled and shook his head.

"Fine; my dad says that we have some Indian in our blood. Navajo to be exact." he said. I nodded for him to go on. "Well, it would appear that from the legends, that we Navajos were descendants of wolves." I stared at him in shock.

"Seriously, wolves?" I asked.

"Yep." he said as he picked up a stone and skipped it across the water.

"Okay, then what about the Stavros's?" I asked.

"It would appear that they're descendants from, like this evil clan. My great-grandfather and his tribe spotted them on our lands. But they claimed that they were different and we decided to make a treaty with them. If they stayed of off Navajo property, we wouldn't blow the whistle on them." I was so captivated by this story.

"So, what are they?" I asked.

"It's just an urban legend. I highly doubt that it's real. Come on." he said as we continued our walk. This just gets better and better.


	7. Myth vs Fact

**Chapter 7: Myth vs. Fact**

A few days passed since being at the lake. Riley avoided me like the plague since then. Even in Algebra class he would answer in short sentences. Once class was over he left and didn't even say bye. It was now Wednesday; I was sitting outside at the picnic benches with K.C. and Conner. I looked around for Riley some more but, once again he wasn't there.

"I told you dude, on sunny days they don't come. It's weird, but hey, what cha' gonna do?" K.C. said as he threw a football to Jake. Conner had been extremely happy lately.

"Conner, what's up with the face?" I asked.

"I'm going to the prom with Imogen." he said. Hmm, seems like my advice to Imogen actually worked.

"That's awesome. I'm really happy for you." I said.

"Hey Conner, we need to get to York if we're gonna get some of those cool tuxedos." K.C. said. Wait, they have a cool bookstore down there. I remember that because of doing research on Navajo Legends.

"Can I go with you guys?" I asked. K.C. looked surprised and Conner looked thrilled.

"Of course, dude. You're our friend. And I sort of need your advice anyway." he said. I smiled and grabbed my coat.

The drive was a bit long, but I was on a mission. I had to find out what this secret was. I needed to know if this myth was indeed a fact. When we got to the Tux store, we looked around. I have to admit, if I were going to prom, I'd actually consider getting a tux from here. This place was totally my style. I sat down on one of the benches there and watched my friends try on their tuxes.

"What do you think?" K.C. asked Conner.

"I think the dark blue one is cool." he said. K.C. then went back to get the other one. Conner had on a money green colored suit. I have to admit, it looked nice on him.

"I like this, it hides my curves." Conner said. I just smiled at him and looked at my phone. I was trying to find the address to that bookstore.

"Dude, no one will care about your curves!" K.C. shouted from the dressing room. Conner cocked a smile at his friend's sincerity.

"Alright, I think I found the perfect one. Besides, it makes my muscles look good." K.C. said modeling the dark blue tux.

"Awesome. I like how it has the skull on the chest. What's your opinion Zane?" Conner asked looking into the mirror. I looked at them both. They did pretty look cool.

"I think it's cool." I said simply. K.C. looked over at me.

"This isn't really your thing is it?" he asked with a chuckle. I looked down.

"Look you guys don't need my opinion. You'll look great in anything. Just get something that fits you and rock it." I said. They both smiled at me and gave me a thumbs up.

"You're a really cool dude, Zane. Thanks for coming with us." K.C. said.

"No problem. But uh, hey, I'm gonna to go to this bookstore." I said as I stood up. "I'll meet you guys at the café." I said.

"Are you sure?" Conner asked.

"Yep, I'll see you guys in half an hour." I said and left. I walked the streets of York in silence. It didn't look that bad. The bookstore seemed like it was miles away, but I eventually got there. I walked in and went over to the cashier.

"Um, I was wondering if you had any books on Navajo legends?" I asked the girl. She gave me a wink, that I completely ignored, and showed me over to the section.

"If you need anything, just call me." she said as she flipped her hair back. I rolled my eyes when she walked away. I then began my search. I can say that I went through approximately 10 books. When I found the one I was looking for, I sat down at a booth and read some of it. It talked about how those people were strong and cold. They didn't eat and a few other things. I was starting to piece it together when I realized it was dark outside. Oh man, I had to meet Conner and K.C. I paid for my book and left the store before that love struck cashier could ask me out.

It had gotten kind of windy outside. I could even see my breath as I walked. I had started to walk down this alley when I saw this guy peeing down there. Ugh, gross. He must be drunk. He looked up and saw me. I quickly turned around and walked the other way. It seemed to me that the further I got to my destination, the more footsteps I heard behind me. I turned the corner behind this building and was met by 4 guys.

"Well, well, well look who's on our territory?" one of the guys asked. I stopped in my tracks and tried to turn around, but they started to surround me.

"I think he's scared guys." a smaller guy said.

"He should be." a taller one replied.

"Look, I don't want any trouble. Now let me leave." I said as I tried to get past two of the guys, but they just pushed me back.

"You're not going anywhere." the tall guy said again. I was really starting to get angry. So I tried to get past them again, this time with a little more force.

"Let me through!" I yelled. But then, they started to try to take my backpack.

"Ooh, what's in here?" one of the guys asked. I snatched my bag back.

"Don't touch me!" I yelled as I hit one of them in the face. Just when I was about to get jumped, a black Mini Cooper swerved around the corner. It was so close to the guys that it could've hit them. I just stood back and watched. When the door opened my jaw dropped. It was Riley!

"Get in!" he instructed. I did as I was told and got in. I watched the guys say something to him. I didn't see what he did, but whatever it was scared the hell out them. Riley backed away from them and entered the car with me. He hit the accelerator and tried to run the guys over, but stopped and backed up. I don't think he was gonna run them over, maybe he tried to scare them a little? We hit the streets like a bat out of hell.

"Those guys should be ashamed of themselves. I should go back there and tear them apart!" he yelled as he gripped the staring wheel extremely hard.

"I don't think that would solve anything." I said as I stared at him.

"But you don't know the terrible things that they were thinking of doing to you. It was horrible." he said.

"How do you know what they were thinking?" I asked.

"Oh, please. It's not that hard to figure out. Now please say something to get me to calm down so I don't go back there and commit a horrible crime please." he begged. I had to think of something fast. His hands actually looked like they were slowly turning the wheel.

"Um, you need anger management." I said honestly. He looked over and me and threw his head back and laughed.

"Ah, that's what my family always says." he said and continued to laugh. I didn't see anything funny.

We pulled up to the café and got out of the car. It was still chilly outside. I looked over at Riley who was looking down at the ground. I so don't get this guy. But he did save my life. I looked up and saw Conner and K.C. coming out of the café.

"Hey what happened?" K.C. asked.

"I, uh..."

"We ran into each other at the bookstore and spent all of this time talking." Riley said as he appeared beside me.

"Oh, okay. No problem. Do you need a ride, 'cause we already ate." Conner said with a sad look.

"It's okay." I said.

"Um, Zane should get something to eat. I'll drive him home myself." Riley said with a innocent look. K.C. and Conner looked at me for answer. This could give me the opportunity to get some answers out of him.

"Yeah, I'll eat. See you guys tomorrow." I said.

"Okay, bye Zane." Conner said and they both left. Once we were seated. I ordered my favorite dish, Lasagna. As I picked through it, Riley stared at me.

"Is something wrong?" I asked as I wiped my mouth.

"Nope, it's just; I find it funny how you eat so gracefully. It's as if you were savoring every bite." he said with a chuckle. I actually found that to be a nice comment. The waitress came over to collect my plate.

"Are you sure there's nothing you like on the menu, hon?" she asked.

"No thank you. I'm quite fine." Riley replied.

"Alright, just let me know." she said as she walked away. I just rolled my eyes at her. Pathetic attempt to flirt. Wow, I was actually jealous. It was time to get some answers.

"Okay, I need to know some things…" I said but he cut me off.

"The capital of Brazil is Brasilia. Um, myth busters has some pretty interesting things on it. Never mix certain chemicals together. And oh, if you pour vinegar in baking soda it'll foam up." he said. Not what I wanted.

"I don't need to know how to make a volcano." I said.

"You know the mechanics of it?" he asked.

"How is it that you knew where I was?" I asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about." he said. I had enough of this.

"Fine." I said as I got up to leave. But then I thought of something. How the hell was I gonna get home without him?

"Wait, don't go." he said. I sat back down, thanking God that he told me not to go.

"Did you have me followed or did you do it yourself?" I asked.

"I did it myself. But only because I feel very concerned for your well-being. Sort of protective really." he said.

"Alright, go on." I said.

"I was trying to be low key, when I overheard what those moronic idiots were thinking and…"

"Whoa, slow down there. You said _you overheard what they were thinking_? How is that possible?" I asked.

"Okay look, I hear every mind in this café, except yours. See look, there's work, money, cheating spouses, and…" he then scrunched up his face, "A Platypus?" he said with a smile.

"A Platypus, wow that's random." I said.

"But see, I can't hear anything from you. I find it fascinating." he said.

"So, does that make me weird?" I asked.

"I say that I can hear people's thoughts and you think _you're_ weird?" I couldn't help but blush. He then exhales sharply. I could tell something was bothering him.

"Is something wrong?" I asked. He looked up at me and stared into my eyes.

"I can't stay away from you. I'm not strong enough anymore." he said with sad eyes.

"Then don't. There has to be a meaning behind this. "I said. He looked away and didn't say anything else.

When I got home that night, I was shocked to see police cars at my house. Zoey and our mom were outside. And I must say she didn't look so good. I looked around and saw Mrs. Stavros there.

"What's going on?" I asked. Riley grunted and pulled into the drive way. I was getting a little too hot from the heat, so when I went to turn it off our hands touch again. I felt the same spark like last time. But I also felt something different. His hand was beyond cold, it was freezing.

"Why are you so cold?" I asked. He didn't say anything. He turned off the car and got out. I followed him.

"Come on you must know something." I said as I walked beside him.

"Your mom needs you. Go to her." He said as he went to his own mom. I sighed and ran into my mom's arms.

"Mom what's wrong?" I asked.

"One of my friends was killed at one of the construction sites down by the docks." she said with teary eyes. Zoey came over and hugged us both.

"Well, Ms. Park we're doing everything we came to find this animal." Mr. Milligan said. She looked up at him and nodded her head.

"Thanks, Trevor." she said. Riley came over to us with his mom.

"I'm so sorry for your loss. If there's anything you need just let me know." she said with a sweet smile.

"Thanks Elena, Riley." my mom said and went into the house. Zoey gave me a quick hug and went to go help mom.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Riley." I said. He nodded his head and headed to his car. I watched as everyone at our house dispersed. After a few hours of helping mom out, I was finally able to do more research. I opened my book and read some more. When I was finished, I went to my computer and did even more research. What I saw surprised me. I gasped in shock. I knew what Riley and his family really were. And I was gonna confront him about it tomorrow.


	8. The Truth

**Chapter 8: The Truth**

As I watched the clock tick towards the end of the day I bit my lip in anticipation. I was so excited that I was finally gonna get the truth from him. I would stand my ground and not be afraid. The bell rang and I left. I went out into the parking lot and spotted him. We had another stare down before I started walking towards him.

"We need to talk." I said as I went around him. I then proceeded to enter the woods behind our school. It was a quiet place, but sort of cold at the same time. I dropped my backpack by a tree and turned towards Riley.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Okay, so I figured some things out. I noticed that 1. You can read minds. No human can do that." I said. He looked guilty but I went on. "So, um, your eyes, what's up with that?"

"I told you, it's the, um…"

"Yeah, can't even remember the excuse you gave me. Your body is like artic cold. I don't understand that. I see you and your family with food, but you never eat or drink anything." I said.

"We don't like the school's food." he said.

"Don't give me that. I also noticed that you seem to act like you're from a different era. Which makes me ask, how old are you?"

"Same age you are, 17."

"No, I don't believe that. How long have you been 17?" I asked.

"The same amount of time as anyone else." he said innocently. Ugh, he's so annoying.

"I'm serious." I said sternly. He sighed and walked over to me.

"I've been 17 for a few years. 90 of them to be exact." I was shocked but also captivated. I turned around and began to pace back and forth.

"You're fast and probably stronger than any human." I said.

"It was by the grace of God." he said. Oh man, he really won't quit.

"I know the truth about what you and your family really are." I said. When I turned to face him, he was already behind me. That proves my theory on being fast.

"Oh do you now? Then say it out loud." he urged.

"Vampires." I said simply. He grabbed my arms and stared into my eyes.

"Are you scared?" he asked. I looked into his golden eyes, they were so mesmerizing.

"Nope."

"Then tell me something, what is it that you think we eat to stay alive?" he asked. It was as if he wanted me to be afraid.

"You won't kill me." I said matter of fact. He grabbed my arm and pulled me up the mountain.

"What are you doing?" I asked as I tried to keep up.

"I'm taking you somewhere where you can see what I really look like in the sunlight." he said. I didn't too much understand that. He stopped for a minute and then threw me on his back. "Hang on tight." I held on to his neck as we sailed through the woods. It was amazing. I couldn't describe what it felt like to fly through the woods at the speed of light. When we got to our destination, I got off of his back and watched as he entered the sunlight.

"There's a reason why we don't come out into the light." he said. I waited for him to turn around and when he did, I was in complete awe. His body, it shined like a million crystals. It was beautiful. _He _was beautiful.

"Oh my God, you're exquisite." I said. He closed his shirt and began to walk away.

"No, this is the body of a predator." he said. I decided to follow him.

"I refuse to believe that." I said. He turned to look at me.

"That's because you believe the stories. It's a cover. My family and I are the most lethal predators in the world. Everything about us fascinates you. Our faces, voices, and even our smells. It's not as if we need any of that." and then he was gone. I looked around wondering where he could've gone.

"As if you could run from me." he said and then disappeared again. "As if you could duel with me either." he said as he tore down a tree. "I am a killing machine. That's all I know how to do." It was a lot to take in. But I couldn't leave it alone.

"I could care less." I said.

"I've murdered people before." he said.

"It doesn't mean anything now."

"I really wanted to kill you. I've never felt that urge before in all of my existence." he said sadly.

"I believe you." I said as I inched closer to him.

"Don't." he said firmly. I tried to put my hand on his face.

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't." I said and then he was gone again.

"You don't get it; my family is completely different from the others. After years and years of training, we've stuck to drinking animal blood. But you, you're different. It's like your blood calls to me. I feel like its crystal-meth."

"Why did it seem like you hated me so much when we first met?" I asked.

"It was because I wanted you, so bad. I hated that you of all people made me want you." he said as he sat on a low branch. He wanted me, huh? How sweet.

"I never would've known that." I said.

"I still don't know if I can control the beast within me." he said. I climbed the small tree and sat beside him.

"You can, you have so far." I said. He looked like he wanted to kiss me, but he got down from the branch. I looked down at him and jumped. I followed him over to this big tree. Riley turned around and cornered me against the tree.

"Since I can't read your mind, you have to tell me what you're thinking." he said as he pushed me up against the tree. Our faces were just inches apart.

"Now I'm scared…"

"Good." he said as he backed away. He didn't even know what I was gonna say.

"I meant that I'm scared of the risk. If I lost you I don't even know what I'd do." I said honestly. He looked up at me and stepped closer. He put his hand on my cheek. I flinched at the touch, but then welcomed it. I held his hand there for a few minutes.

"I've waited centuries for someone like you. Now that I have you, it feels too good to be true." he said happily.

"I feel the same way, except the waiting for century's part." I said with a chuckle.

"So, the cheetah fell for the gazelle." he said. His voice was so hypnotizing.

"What a foolish gazelle." I said.

"No, what a vile revolting cheetah." he said. As we stared into each other's eyes, I could tell that we were meant to be together.

**A/N: Well, it finally happened. The boys are finally together. I'm so happy for them. And as you all know in the movie Twilight the happiness only goes on for so long. Shout out to my buddy Meagan, thanks again for the grammar mistakes. I really appreciate it and I fixed it. I can't wait for you guys to see the rest of the series. My version of Breaking Dawn is gonna be off the charts. If anyone wants any spoilers on it. Message me. Read and review people. Don't forget, non-members can review too. So tell your friends. More should be up soon. XOXO ShadowBeauty.**


	9. Explanations

**Chapter 9: Explanations**

The next morning I laid in bed, I couldn't help but think about Riley. He was just so stunning. I couldn't believe that he was mine. So for starters, he's a vampire. His skills are lethal and impeccable. Two, he has a side that thirsts for my blood. I know he can control it because he has so far. And three I was irretrievably and unqualifiedly in love with him. I got out of bed when I heard the honking of his car. I looked out of the window to see him outside waiting for me. I cracked a smile and got dressed. Zoey had already left with her friends because she had senior stuff to do, and my mom had to go to work. When I got outside, I ran into his awaiting arms.

"I see someone missed me." I said as I leaned away from him.

"You just don't know." he replied and opened the door for me. He had black Kia Soul now. How cute.

"Wow, switched cars huh?" I asked.

"Yep, that Mini Cooper just wasn't doing it for me." he smiled as he shut the door. He was at my side within seconds.

"Now, I'm pretty sure that when we get to school, people are gonna be staring." I said as we began to make our way to school.

"Yeah, I know. But it's all worth it. I have what I've always wanted. Now school will be even more interesting." he said with a chuckle. I looked out the window and blushed. "You look so cute when you blush." I could feel my cheeks getting hotter.

"Thank you." I said.

When we arrived at school everyone stared at the new vehicle. I sunk down in my seat from all the stares. I know they couldn't see me because of the tinted windows, but I couldn't help it. I really don't like attention.

"Alright, you ready?" Riley asked. I turned towards him and gave him a nervous glance.

"Yeah, let's do it." I said as Riley exited the vehicle. I let out anxious sigh, but cheered up when Riley opened my door. I grabbed my backpack and got out. I immediately heard the sound of gasping. I looked over to see my friends gawking at me. Imogen and Connor just smiled and gave me a thumbs up. Riley shut the door behind me and grabbed my hand.

"Come on, let's get this day over with." he said with a smile. I saw Zoey's friend Meagan run into the building. Probably to tell Zoey about us. Yet another obstacle that I would have to face.

"Okay, everybody is staring." I said as I walked towards the building. I looked over to see Adonis's blue Charger and saw that they didn't looked too pleased with our relationship. I'd have to ask him about that later.

"Not _everybody_." he mimicked. "Oh, wait, yeah it is everybody. But hey, let them." he said as we finally entered the building. I felt sad that we had to separate for the time being, I was glad that he was mine and I was his.

"Alright, I'll see you in a few hours." I said. He kissed my cheek.

"I'll be counting the seconds." he said and walked to class. I felt like I was on cloud 9. All of a sudden I was pulled into a classroom. I turned around to see Meagan and Zoey.

"Okay, what the hell Zoey?" I asked. She got off of the desk she was sitting on. She had a serious look on her face as she approached me. Then, she hugged me? I was so confused.

"My little brother is dating one of the hottest guys in school!" she shrieked. I covered my ears. Meagan shrieked too.

"I know right, who would've thought that you of all people could tame Riley?" she said.

"I don't know. It's just that I understand him more than anyone else." I said.

"Aww." both of the girls said.

"Look, I've got to go, class starts in a few minutes and I don't want to be late." I said as I slipped out of the classroom. I still heard the sound of their shrieks when I left.

This day went even better than the rest. I did all of my work and watched the clock tick towards lunch. As soon as it rang, I flew out of the classroom. Almost everywhere I went I heard whispers of "He's dating Riley Stavros" and "I wonder what Riley sees in him that he didn't in me?" It was pretty cool actually. I grabbed my food and walked over to my friends. Imogen was sitting on Connor's lap smiling.

"I see that you two are finally a couple." I said as I sat down.

"Yep, I just couldn't resist her smile." Connor said and rubbed his nose against hers.

"We also see that you and Stavros are an item now too." Katie said. I blushed again.

"Yeah, it's true and here he comes now." I said. I could feel myself lighting up. Riley came over to our table and sat down beside me. He gave me another kiss on the cheek.

"Hey, I missed you." he said.

"And I missed you." I replied. Everyone at the table squealed with glee.

"This is so exciting. Our friend has found the love of his life." Marisol said. I looked at all the happy faces. I noticed that all but one was actually happy and that was Owen. I would ask Riley what he was thinking about later on too.

"So Owen, what's new with you?" I asked trying to break the tension. His head shot up and he smiled.

"Oh nothing, just hanging out with Tristan. We, uh, we been working on my dad's garage so… yeah. It's actually turning out pretty well." he said. It still seemed to me that he was hiding something, but I let it go. Everything was going fine. Riley and I answered some of the group's questions and they seemed to love him. I noticed that when Owen asked a question that Riley's posture changed a bit. It was as if he was annoyed by some of the questions.

Later that day after school, we went to our little spot in the woods. I had already told Zoey to let mom know that I'd be home later on that day. I walked around the woods holding Riley's hand. It was now time for some more explanations.

"So, I was wondering, does death have to be a factor in becoming like you?" I asked. He turned towards me and smiled a crooked smile.

"No. My mom feels that if there's another choice, then turning someone into a vampire really isn't all that necessary." he explained. As we came out of the forest we saw this beautiful view of the water. I started to walk towards the edge of the cliff, but Riley pulled me back.

"Not such a good idea." he smiled.

"Right. So how long have you been stuck like this?" I asked. We sat down on some rocks and looked out at the water.

"Since 1921, my dad and I were dying of Pneumonia. It was a huge epidemic. My mom had it too, but she hid it very well. One night when she was out she ran into a man. She tried to help him, but he bit her. She was gone for days. The man that bit her told her of what she was and what she could do. So she got us out of the hospital and then she changed my dad and I." he said. I couldn't believe it. Poor guy.

"Did it hurt? The change I mean." I asked.

"Yeah, it was unbearable. But what my mom and dad went through was much worse. See considering the fact that mom really didn't understand what she was, she didn't know if she'd be killing us or saving us. She tested it out on dad first and when he survived she did it to me. So it took some time for us to finally realize what we were. When we did, we just embraced the animal blood lifestyle."

"I thought that you just had to bite someone and then they'd be turned into a vampire." I said.

"It's not that simple Zane. When we taste human blood, something awakes in us. It's like a monster. That's why we feed on animals. It's not the same as human blood, but a decent substitute." He said with a smile. "But if I drank your blood it would be a whole lot different. But I wouldn't dream of doing that to you." I sure hope he wouldn't. But I know him. And he wouldn't.

"I assuming that your parents are the reason why you don't kill people." I said.

"No, they're not the only reason. You see, I don't want to be a killer. I mean I know I'm killing animals, but I don't want to end human lives. That would make me a monster." I grabbed his hand.

"You'll never be a monster to me. Never." I said as I stared into his golden eyes.

"Thanks." he said.

"Now about those powers of yours?" I asked with a slight smile.

"What would you like to know? I'll tell you anything you want." he said. How cute again.

"Okay, does the rest of your family hear people's thoughts too?" I asked.

"Nope, I'm the one and only. But um Chloe can control emotions, while Langston can see the future." he said. Wow, so many cool things. I wonder…

"Did Langston see me coming?" I asked.

"No, but he did say something would happen that would change our lives. And here you are." he said as he hugged me.

"Yeah. So what all can Langston do?"

"Well his power is extremely rare. He can see your intentions, decisions, and outcomes of the future." he said.

"So if I were to have intentions on skipping school?"

"He'd see it."

"What about my decision to not do my homework?"

"He'd see that too." Wow, Langston was good.

"The outcome of getting a haircut?"

"He'd see that also. The thing is he tracks you. If he just focuses on you or someone else for that matter, he could see everything." Riley explained.

"Huh, I guess I'm gonna have to be more careful around him huh?" I asked.

"Yeah. And as a bonus I can read everyone in my family's thoughts too. Even Langston. I can see his visions while he's having them. It's like watching T.V. But since the future is always changing, so can his visions." he said.

"I was wondering, what was Owen thinking at lunch today?"

"Huh?" he asked.

"You seemed distraught at something Owen was saying in his mind. I was wondering what it was."

"Oh, it was nothing. Just something about his little brother." He said innocently.

"Oh, okay. Then what about your family? I noticed that they didn't seem to like the idea of us being together very well." I said as I looked at the waves.

"They were just trying to figure something out. No biggie. But they are happy for me though." he said. I smiled at that. I was glad that they were happy.

"That's great." I said. Something then caught my attention. "Could it have been other vampires that killed my mom's friend?" I asked.

"Yeah, there are others. My family and I run into them every so often."

"But there aren't any around here are there?" I asked.

"Not that we know of." he looked at my unsettled look. "Don't worry nothing's gonna happen you. I promise." he said and hugged me again. We spent a few more hours just talking. I really loved this guy. I looked at my watch and it was getting late.

"I should head home." I said getting up. He was instantly beside me and then I was on his back.

"Hang on tight." he said with a smirk. The next thing I knew we were flying thought the woods again.

**A/N: Here's chapter 9. I hope you guys like it. And Meagan for all that you did, I decided to have you make a cameo appearance. The family meeting, the big kiss, the nomad vampires and other things will be up soon. Non-members can review too. So tell your friends. And in my story the vampire powers will be just as cool as the Twilight vampires. XOXO ShadowBeauty.**


	10. Bonding

**Chapter 10: Bonding**

When I got home that evening, I went upstairs. As usual Zoey was in my room. And this time she wasn't alone. I walked in to see Meagan and Zoey reading some type of magazine.

"Okay, seriously why is it that my room is where all the girls seem to want to go?" I asked as I took off my jacket. Meagan put down her magazine and smiled at me.

"Because it annoys you and its fun." she said with a giggle. Ugh, these girls drive me insane.

"It's not just that." Zoey said as she hopped off of my bed. "We have to prepare you for your date." Wait…what?

"Date?" I asked.

"Yeah, date. It's important that you meet Riley's family." Meagan said. "And then tell us about them."

"Guys, who said that I'm going to meet Riley's family anytime soon?" I asked.

"Uh, we do. It's crucial." Meagan said. I rolled my eyes and listened as the girls went on and on about the different things that were going to happen. And as usual, I blocked them out.

"See? Now was that so hard?" Meagan asked.

"No, it wasn't. Thanks guys." I said as I pushed them out of my room. I laid on my bed and thought about what they had said. Well, at least the parts that I heard. I wonder what Riley's family is like? I knew some things about them, but I didn't know their histories. As I drifted off to sleep, all I saw was Riley's face. Beautiful, flawless, and perfect.

The next day while I was cleaning the gutters (I hate that chore) I heard the sound of Riley's truck arriving. I turned around and waved. I was trying to reach a leaf on the roof when all of a sudden a hand picked it up. I looked up and saw Riley standing on the roof.

"That's not very human like." I said. He smiled at me and jumped off the roof. I got off of the ladder and hugged him. "It's good to see you again." He smiled and kissed my forehead.

"Same here." I wonder why he was here. I mean, I know why, to see me. But there had to be other reasons.

"Um," I started.

"I know, I know. You're wondering why I'm here." he said. I nodded my head yes. "Well, that's because I think it's time for you to meet my family." I should've seen that coming.

"Your family? And by that you would mean going over to your house?" I asked. He nodded his head. "I'm sort of afraid that they won't like me." He threw his head back and laughed.

"Okay, so let me get this straight, you'll be surrounded by vampires, some of the world's most lethal creatures and you're worried about their acceptance of you?" He then continued to laugh.

"It's nice to see that I hit your funny bone." I said sarcastically. He then held me close to him. His scent was so intoxicating.

"I believe that we should meet each other's families. I mean, it's the right thing to do. Besides keeping our eternal everlasting perpetual love from our families is wrong." he said with a smile. I knew he was right.

"Okay, fine. But _you _have to help me with my chores." I said holding up the gutter cleaner. He took it and smiled.

"Piece of cake." and then he was gone. Since he moved in the blink of an eye, I couldn't see him cleaning. All I saw was the gutters looking spotless.

"Done." He said as he reappeared beside me.

"Good." I said. Riley then looked disgruntled. I looked in his direction to see what he was looking at or looking for. "What's wrong?" His face then smoothed out and he looked at me.

"Nothing, just thinking. But uh, I'll pick you up tomorrow." he said and got in his car. I watched as he drove down the street. I wonder what he was thinking about that made his face go hard. I shook the thought from my head when I saw the Milligans pulling up in the drive-way.

"Hey, guys." I said as I walked over to greet them.

"Hi Zane." Tristan said as he ran past me and into the house. Probably going to the game room.

"Hey Trevor, Owen." I said. They said hi too. My mom came outside and hugged Trevor.

"Hey, I see that Tristan loves the game room." she said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, he does. I brought over some pizza for the big soccer game tonight." Trevor said holding up the pizza boxes. I saw my mom literally light up.

"Well, let's get those babies inside, huh?" she said. Owen came over to me and smiled.

"Those two really love their soccer huh?" he asked. I nodded my head.

"Yeah, but it'll get worse with age." I said as we entered the house.

A few hours later I was watching Owen and Tristan battled each other on the Xbox 360.

"Dude, you are so finished." Owen said. Tristan rolled his eyes.

"Oh please, my weapon's a plasma cannon. Trust me, _you're _finished." he said. Meagan and Zoey just watched.

"Boys and their video games." Meagan said.

"I know right. Owen, everybody knows that plasma cannons rule. You're definitely gonna lose." Zoey said. Tristan gave her a high 5. I looked at Zoey in shock. "What, a girl can't play Call of Duty?"

"No, it's just that I didn't know you played." I said.

"There's a lot you don't know about me little brother." Zoey said and playfully nudged my shoulder. There were a lot of things she didn't know about me either.

"Okay, I've almost…damn it!" Owen said as he leaned back against the couch. Tristan was jumping for joy.

"I told you." Zoey and Tristan both said.

"Alright, fine. Let's play 'Just Dance'." Owen said as he put the game in. Uh-oh dancing. It's going to be a long night.

So after a few hours of mindless dancing Owen, his dad, and Tristan left. Meagan's parents were letting her spend the weekend at our house. I felt that it was time to tell them the news.

"Guys, Riley's taking me to his house tomorrow." I said. Both of the girls squealed with glee. Man, what was up with girls and squealing?

"This is so cool. Okay, what should we tell him first, Megs?" Zoey asked.

"Well, from my experiences, just be yourself. Don't try to impress them, because then they'll see how desperate you are to please them." she said. So, no showing off. Check.

"What next?" I asked.

"I believe you should tell them about yourself. And your intentions with Riley." Zoey said.

"Right and never let them see you sweat. Because then, you'd be letting them intimidate you. And that's about it. Anything you want to add, Zo?" Meagan asked.

"Nope that's about it. Good luck, Chuck." Zoey said as she and Meagan went to bed. I turned off my light went to bed, dreaming about that amazing face.

**A/N: Okay, Ziley fans, here's chapter 10. Sorry I've been out for so long. And I was creating back stories for all the characters. Winter Solstice is gonna be just as cool as Breaking Dawn. As a matter of fact, the whole series is gonna cool. I know it isn't much, but this chapter was just a filler. The next one, which will be up in a few hours, will include Riley's family. So watch out for it. Thanks to all my reviewers, you guys are the best. Meagan, another cameo for you girl. Message me if you see any mistakes. And I've fixed chapter 9 and 10. XOXO ShadowBeauty. **


	11. Meet The Family

**Chapter 11: Meet the Family**

The day had finally come. I stood in the bathroom and checked myself one more time. I had to look perfect. First impressions are very important. Meagan came in and grabbed her perfume.

"Nervous huh?" she asked with a smile.

"How could you tell?" I asked. She rolled her eyes.

"It's quite simple. You've been in here for 3 hours and you have four shirts outside the door covered in sweat." Wow, she could read me like a book.

"Thanks. So how do I look now?" I asked. She turned to face me. She looked me up and down.

"I think…" she said and grabbed some hair gel and put some in my hair. "I think that if your hair is casually messed up, it shows off individuality." I looked into the mirror and smiled.

"Wow, I do look good. Thanks Meagan." I said and hugged her.

"No prob. Anything for my bestie's brother." she said with a smile. "Now get out here. And have fun." she said with a wink. I grabbed my coat and went downstairs. I saw Riley's car outside and headed out the door. Once I was in the car, we drove off.

"Are you excited?" he asked.

"Yeah." I said and blushed. He looked over at me and smiled.

"You do realize that when you blush, I can tell that you're lying. Nice hair by the way." I blushed even harder. I'd have to thank Meagan later.

"Okay, I'm nervous as hell. But, it's crucial to our relationship that I do this." I said and sat up straight. He laughed and turned a corner.

"Don't worry, they'll love you. They'll see that you are what makes me happy." He said as he held my hand. I really hope so.

We arrived at this amazing house. I couldn't believe that they lived here. The house was surrounded by trees. I'm assuming that they lived far away from people because of what they were. If I was a vampire, I would want my privacy too. I undid my seat belt and waited for Riley to open the door. I got out and we walked towards the stairs.

"This place is amazing. And it's so spacey." I said as we entered the house. Riley took my coat and hung it up.

"Yeah well, we like our privacy. Besides, being out here gives us more freedom." He said. I looked around the living room. They had so much art. I would never have thought that vampires would've lived like this.

"I still can't believe vampires live in a place like this." I said as I looked at a painting.

"Let me guess. You envisioned a dark, creepy, abandoned castle. And when you walked inside, my family was going to be like bats, hanging from the ceiling?" he asked with a smirk.

"Something like that. But take out the 'hanginglike bats from the ceiling' part though." I said with a sly smile.

"Oh, the human has jokes huh?" he asked playfully.

"You know it." I said and we had a good laugh. He then grabbed my hand and led me upstairs.

"Where are we going now?" I asked.

"To the kitchen. My family took the liberty and stuck with the human tradition of cooking for the guest." he said. We arrived at the kitchen where I saw Mrs. Stavros; a man with black hair that I was assuming was the father, Arabella, and Adonis. And might I just say, Adonis didn't look too pleased.

"Okay, so it's time that you are properly introduced. Zane, this is my mother Elena." Riley said and pointed to his mother.

"Hi, it's nice to see you outside of the hospital." She said and hugged me.

"Thanks, it nice to see you too." I said. I then caught an interesting scent. "What's that breath-taking smell?"

"It's _Pot au teu._" She said. I was impressed. That was one of my favorite French dishes.

"_Merci_." I said thanking her in French. She was shocked by my knowledge of the French language.

"_Votre accueil._" She said welcoming me.

"That's my dad, Lysander." the man walked over to me and shook my hand.

"It's nice to meet you." he said. "This is actually the first time we've used the kitchen." he said with a chuckle. This guy may look intimidating, but he seems extremely nice.

"Hey, Zane." Arabella said as she waved a chef's knife at me.

"Hi. Arabella." I said.

"Oh, please. We're practically a family now. Call me A.J." she said and hugged me. She was nice too. I looked over at Adonis. A.J. looked at him too.

"Babe, come say hi." she said.

"Hi." he said smugly. I could tell that he didn't like me. A.J. just rolled her eyes.

"Pay no attention to him. Nobody else does." she said. I smiled at that. That seemed to make him really mad. So mad, that he broke the wooden chair he was leaning on.

"Oh, yeah. Ignore me. Don't you guys get it! The whole family could be embroiled if this so called relationship goes south." He said and crossed his arms.

"Nothing's going to happen." a voice said from out of the blue. I looked around Adonis to see Langston and Chloe working on a trapeze act outside in the trees. Langston back flipped out of the tree and landed on the balcony. Chloe then followed.

"Whew, that was a workout." Chloe said and took her hair out of its ponytail. "Hey, Zane. If you didn't already know, I'm Chloe and this is Langston." I waved to the both of them. Langston came over and shook my hand also. He then leaned in and sniffed me.

"Wow, you do smell pleasant." he said. Riley gave him an anxious glance. "Don't worry, we were out hunting. So we're good. Oh, and Adonis, nothing is going to happen. I've seen it." Adonis rolled his eyes. Elena walked over to him.

"That was one of my best dining room chairs!" she shouted. Adonis looked down in defeat.

"Sorry ma." he said as he began to clean it up. Elena put her hand on her forehead.

"Uh, kids. Sometimes I could just…" she said and made a gesture as if she was strangling someone. "But, I love them all. Just like I love you Zane. Welcome to the family." I felt so honored.

After I ate that awesome meal, I sat on Riley's lap as I listened to his family's history. I must say, it was very interesting. I watched as Elena told the tale of her life.

"Okay, I was born in 1872 in Russia. I met Lysander in Greece while on a college study abroad trip. We fell in love and got married. A few years later I had Riley. Within a few years, the Pneumonia epidemic was unleashed. All three of us became very ill. I tried so hard to find a cure. I did everything I could to save them. One night while I was out, I was bitten by a vampire. When I awoke, he explained to me what I was and what I could do. I asked him why me? The man said that he could see the good in me and that he was doing me a favor. I then went home and changed my husband first and then my son. I enjoy medical research and my physical age is 26." she finished. Wow, so much detail and knowledge. Lysander then took the stage.

"Well she pretty much summed it up. But um, I was born in 1872 also. But I was born in Greece. My father was a preacher. I mostly helped hunt with my uncles and things. I went to college and found the love of my life. And the rest was pretty much explained by my wife. I didn't have much of a past to share so. But I appreciate you for listening." He said as he sat down. Langston was next in line to speak.

"Okay, so I was born in or around 1901. I can't really remember the rest. But I remember that I could have premonitions when I was a kid. It was scary knowing what was gonna happen before it did. It got so bad, that when I was 18, I admitted myself to an institution. I felt that I was going crazy. Um, this old lady, very pretty, like us, bite me. She said something about giving me a second chance. So I ran from the institution and meet up with Chloe. We found out where the Stavros family lived and joined them and the rest is history." he said. Poor thing, getting bit at age 18.

"Okay, my turn." Arabella began. "Alright, from what I can remember I was a very active young thing. I loved sports. I was 20 when I was changed. I was sky-diving and the plane crashed. Luckily I jumped from the plane in time. But it was too high up and my parachute got tangled so I fell about 50 ft. I landed in some trees and that's when Adonis found me. In the beginning, I couldn't stand this animal diet. It was totally cramping my style. But eventually I warmed up to it for my handsome Greek God." she said hugging Adonis at the waist. His mean demeanor turned into a happy one.

"Yeah, I don't want to get into my history with you. Sorry." he said with a smirk. Elena and A.J. gave him a cold stare. A.J. let him go and walked away. "Babe, come on." he said as he went after her.

"Chloe is there anything you'd like to add?" Elena asked. Chloe sadly shook her head no. "That's okay dear. You can tell your story when you're ready. Chloe's kind of new to this lifestyle. So forgive her if she acts differently."

"Don't worry, Chloe. I act weird all the time. It's no big deal." I reassured her. She smiled and looked at the ground. I'm sure if she could blush, she would have.

"Okay, guys I'm gonna show Zane the rest of the house." Riley said helping me up.

"It was nice meeting you. Oh, and we're gonna be some pretty awesome friends in the future." Langston said. I liked him already. I followed Riley upstairs and saw the wall of diplomas.

"Wow, there are so many diplomas." I said.

"Yeah, well we move around a lot so… But it's easier when we start out younger. The younger we are the longer we can stay in one place." Riley said as he led me to his room. When I walked in, I was in complete awe. He had so many books and music. I was finally in a place where I could stay forever. But I noticed something was missing from the equation.

"Um, where's the bed?" I asked him.

"Yeah, we don't sleep." he said. Okay…

"Like ever?"

"Nope, never." he said. I rubbed the back of my head.

"Okay. Um, let's see the music collection." I said as I walked over to his shelf.

"Yeah, Debussy is a classic." he said.

"So is Claire Del Lune." I said as I turned it on. The music filled the room. I closed my eyes and envisioned being at the concert. I opened them to find Riley in front of me. He grabbed my hand and twirled me. I scrunched my up face and let laughter pass through my lips.

"What?" he asked.

"Dancing isn't my thing." I said.

"Well, I could _make_ you dance." he said testing me.

"Yeah, like I'm afraid of you." I said.

"Now see, you really should think before you speak." he said and threw me on his back and jumped out of his window. We landed on a tree. "Hang on tight, my little flying squirrel." he said as he climbed further up the tree. He stopped on a branch.

"Why'd we stop?" I asked.

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course."

"Then keep your eyes shut." I couldn't do that and miss this. No way. He jumped from the tree we were on to a tree that was way too far for a human to reach. The wind blew through my hair as we sailed through the air. He landed on the tree and began to climb up. When we reached a certain branch, he let me go. I sat on a branch and looked out at Toronto. It was such a beautiful sight.

"This feels so illusory. Like it shouldn't be real." I said.

"Well, in my life, it is." he said as he climbed up further. I followed him. When we reached the top, it was an even more beautiful sight. He stood by me as we watched the sun set.

**A/N: Okay I know kind of a corny ending, but it was late. So I hope you liked some of the back stories. Chloe's and Adonis' will come later. But for now read and review. And Meagan, do your thing girl read and review but message me the mistakes I've made. Thanks everybody. XOXO ShadowBeauty.**


	12. Control

**Chapter 12: Control**

I sat in a booth at The Dot while Zoey and I waited for our mom. I chewed on my straw as Zoey and Meagan stared at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Um, we're still waiting on the details of the Stavros family. It's been a week." Meagan said. I had to come up with some sort of lie. No one could know about my boyfriend or his family.

"It's not much to tell. They're just an ordinary family." I said as I took a sip of my drink.

"Boo, I was hoping for some gossip." Zoey said.

"Trust me; we all know that Zane isn't the gossipy type." Meagan said as she drank her water. I smiled at the fact that they dropped the subject. I saw my mom out the window and straightened up in my chair.

"Hey, guys." she said as she sat down.

"Hi mom." Zoey and I said. Meagan waved. We ordered our food. I got the Cesar salad. Zoey and Meagan ordered some Spaghetti. And mom ordered steak and fries. I watched as my carnivorous mother tore in to her steak.

"Uh mom, don't you think that you should be getting something a little healthier?" I asked. She rolled her eyes.

"Oh please. I'm so healthy, not even a horse can compare to me." she said. I was speechless. While Zoey and Meagan sat at the bar talking to some boys, a man came over to us.

"Hey, Judge Park." he said. My mom smiled and waved.

"Yeah, Jonathon?"

"I was wondering if they ever found anything down by where the last murder took place?" he asked.

"Um, Officer Milligan said that they had found a bare human footprint in the woods. They're tracking it now. Whoever it is heading east. So…" my mom said with a sigh. I suddenly felt uneasy. I could only think of one reason why there would be a bare human footprint in the woods.

"Good. I hope they catch whoever did this fast. Have a nice day ya'll." Jonathon said and walked out. When he walked out my friends walked in.

"What's up Zane?" Connor said as he fist bumped me. The rest of the gang came over and said hello and then went to their table.

"You should go too." My mom said.

"Nah, I'm good." I said.

"Oh come on, son. It's Friday night. You should be with your friends. Besides, that Marisol girl looks like she has her eyes on you." she said with a wink.

"I know. She's a great friend." I said as I played with my salad. My mom just looked at me and then wiped her mouth.

"Well, what about boys, Anyone catch your interest?" she asked. I put my fork down and stared at her quizzically.

"Seriously mom? We're going to talk about my love life?" I asked.

"Yeah, maybe you're right. I just feel that you don't get out much. I don't want you to feel sheltered." she said as she grabbed my hand.

"I don't mind the silence of being alone. I'm kind of like you in a way." I said with a smile. She smiled back.

That night I decided to call dad. I wanted to know how everything went with the concert tour. I went into the bathroom and brushed my teeth. I felt that since I was getting ready for bed after the call, that I should at least brush my teeth. Zoey and Meagan knocked on the door.

"Hey bro, we're going out to the movies. You want to go too?" Zoey asked.

"No thanks, I'm just gonna call dad and then turn in for the night." I said as I finished brushing my teeth. I put my toothbrush down and walked into my bedroom.

"Are you sure you don't want to go?" Meagan asked. I shook my head. "Alright, we'll tell you all about it in the morning." she said and then left. I dialed my dad's number and waited for him to answer.

"Zane! It's so nice to hear from you again." my father nearly shouted.

"Same here. How's all the concert stuff going?" I asked.

"It's awesome. We're in New York now. I'm looking for a house in case things become more stable." he said.

"Stable?" I asked.

"As in permanent. Come on man keep up." dad said with a chuckle.

"That sounds cool." I said.

"Trust me, you and your sister are going to love it here." I almost dropped my phone. There was no way that I was leaving Toronto.

"Um, Toronto is even better." I said.

"What?" dad asked.

"I said that Toronto is really feeling like home." I said.

"Hmm, does a boyfriend or girlfriend have anything to do with that?"

"Um, yeah. His names Riley." I said.

"Ah, this is where Layla comes in." he said. I could hear him explaining the situation to her. I smiled at how cool my family was.

"Okay I'm here. Since your dad knows nothing about dating boys. I'm gonna give you some advice. Make sure this boy treats you right." she said.

"Oh, he does." I said.

"Good. So what's he like?" she asked.

"He's smart, funny, and cute." I said. I could go on and on, but the secrets stopped me.

"Oh, is he a jock? No wait. Indie." she said. I was just about to answer when I felt a rush of cold air. I looked and saw Riley sitting on my bed.

"Um, I've got to go. I have a thing in the morning. Can I call you back?" I asked.

"Oh, no wait. We've got to talk about boys. Your father asked if you're being safe."

"Yes, and I love you guys. Bye." I said.

"Bye." she said and hung up. I put my phone down and scooted over to Riley.

"How did you…? I'm confused." I said.

"I climbed through the window. You should really lock that thing." He said with a smirk.

"Cute." I said sarcastically. "I'll put that into consideration. Um, do you do that often?"

"Only for the past couple of months." he said. "I like how you look when you're sleeping. You look so peaceful. It captivates me."

"Well, maybe I'll keep it unlocked then. Just to be able to have you in here all to myself." I said with a sultry smile.

"Sounds titillating." He looked away for a quick second. "I've always wanted to try this." he said as he leaned in. "Hold still and don't move." He put his hand on the back of my head and pulled me towards him. We moved at a slow pace. I closed my eyes and our lips touched. It was just a peck at first. I heard him gasp softly. I leaned in for another and it turned into a passionate kiss. I put my hands in his hair and leaned in a lot more. As we kissed passionately he pulled back. All I could do was stare. I grabbed his head and scooted back towards my pillows. He laid on top of me as we kissed. It was getting hot and heavy when he suddenly flew backwards. I watched as he leaned against the wall.

"If I did something, I apologize for it." I said as I leaned up and sat Indian style. He turned his back towards me.

"It's not you. I have too much strength." he said.

"I know and I wish I had just as much."

"You don't get it. I can't lose myself with you. I mean if something happened to you because of me…"

"Nothing's going to happen." I said as I got up and walked over to him. I rubbed his shoulder. He turned around to look me in the eye.

"You don't know that." he said sadly. I held his head in my hands.

"You're right. I don't. But that doesn't stop me from loving you any less." he looked up at me. "We don't have to do anything tonight." I said as I yawned.

"Okay, I'll stay with you. Now get some sleep. You look tired." he said as he lifted me up and carried me bridal style to my bed.

"You're so funny." I said as I yawned again. As I slowly began to drift off to sleep, I laid my head on Riley's chest. All was okay in my eyes.

**A/N: Aww, they finally kissed. I hope I did a good job on this guys. Was it just as good as Bella's and Edward's first kiss? Yes? No? And Meagan, I've decided to give you a permanent part in the story. You've helped out so much, so here's your reward. Read and Review people. XOXO ShadowBeauty.**


	13. The Nomads

**Chapter 13: The Nomads**

After a few weeks had gone by, I decided that I wanted Riley to meet my mom officially. He was coming over today to take me out anyway, so I felt it was the best time. I paced my room, thinking of how I was gonna break the news. I already knew that she'd be happy, but as a judge, she would be protective too. I went downstairs and saw her working on her weapons collection. I sat down beside her on the couch.

"Wow, someone likes to play with guns." I said as I turned on the T.V. She smiled at me.

"Well, I have my reasons. You never know if that killer might come here one day or catch us off guard while we're out. Oh, I have something for you." she said while pulling out a bag from behind her. I took the bag and opened it in surprise.

"A Taser?" I asked with my eyebrow raised.

"Yes, I'd feel safer if you and your sister had one of these." mom said and continued to work on her gun. I sat the Taser down.

"I'm going out with Riley Stavros." I said quickly. She stopped working on the gun and looked at me.

"Okay. But I thought that he was older than you." she said.

"Nope, he's 17 like me." I lied smoothly. "I kind of thought you liked his family."

"Right. I'm confused. What happened to not liking anyone in town?" she asked as she started on her work again.

"Well to be precise, he doesn't actually live in town." I said. "He's almost here. He wanted a more formal introduction." She sat her gun down again.

"How nice of him." she smiled. I was just about to leave when a thought occurred to me.

"Mom, please don't go all Judge Park on him. He's like really imperative to me." I said.

"Don't worry. Mama Bear is under control." she said and folded her hands in her lap. She must really be loving this. I thought to myself sarcastically. I opened the door to see Riley in a rain coat and gloves.

"What's with the getup?" I asked.

"I'll explain it to you later." he said. I closed the door and we walked into the living room.

"Hello, Judge Park." he said with ease. My mother stood up and checked Riley over.

"Hmm, very handsome. I like you, for now. But if you break my Zane's heart…"

"Mom!" I interrupted.

"Oh sorry. I'm just really protective of my kids." she said.

"It's okay. My mother is the exact same way, considering the circumstances of the murder investigation." Riley said.

"Oh good. So what're you guys doing?" she asked. I put my face in my hands. Why did she have to know everything? WHY?

"We're going out to play football with my family." Riley said. He immediately had our attention.

"Football?" My mom asked. She stared at Riley and then at me. All of a sudden she busted out laughing. I mean not the usual giggle, but full on laughter.

"What's so funny?" I whispered to Riley.

"She thinks it's hilarious that you're going to play football." he chuckled. Once she settled down, she got off of the couch and faced us again.

"Whew, I needed a good laugh. You're alright with me Riley. But seriously what are you two going to do today?"

"Mom, we're actually going to play football." I said

"Oh okay. Well best wishes with that." she said with a hint of laughter in her voice.

"He'll be safe with me." Riley said as he smiled his crooked smile. I could see my mom nearly faint. I rolled my eyes and led Riley out. Mom grabbed my shoulder.

"Um, don't forget your Taser." She said as she held it up. I took it and grabbed my coat. I got into Arabella's Hummer 3. Man, this family had some nice vehicles.

"Okay, seriously. When the hell did vampires start playing football?" I asked as I put my seatbelt on.

"Well, I felt that it would be a great family activity. Besides, I want you to see how we have fun." Riley said as we drove off.

"Wait, why are you wearing gloves?" I asked.

"Because, I didn't know if I was gonna have to shake your mom's hand. I didn't want her to feel how cold my skin was." he said as he took off the gloves.

"Oh." was all I said. I looked up at the sky and saw dark rain clouds. "Isn't it supposed to rain today?"

"Yep." Riley replied.

"Then why are we going to play football in the rain?"

"So many questions with you." Riley chuckled. "It's quite simple really. We need the thunder in order to play. And timely for us, Langston saw a storm today." We pulled into an open field outside of town. I got out of the truck and saw the most stunning waterfall.

"That's beautiful." I said. Riley smiled and led me over to the rest of the family.

"Alright guys, I've decided that Zane should see how we have a good time." Riley said as he held my hand. I looked over and saw Adonis staring at me with a sneering expression. That made me hang on to Riley's hand tighter.

"Great, I was looking forward to a _family _game." Adonis said putting emphasis on the word 'family'. Riley snarled at him.

"Easy, Riles. Adonis give it a rest." Lysander said austerely. Adonis snorted and kept quiet. Elena came over to me and held my hand also.

"We need another referee." she said.

"Only because she thinks we cheat." A.J. said with a smile.

"No, it because you _do _cheat." Elena countered. "Just say what you see. Almost like calling it as you see it." I smiled.

"Okay teams. Riley, Langston, and A.J. verses Me, Adonis, and Chloe." Lysander said. I watched as the game took place. A.J. had the ball and threw it so far that I couldn't even see where it went.

"Um, how is Riley gonna catch that?" I asked.

"Oh, my boy is very fast." Elena replied. I watched as Riley looked at the ball and then disappeared. All of a sudden the ball was thrown back from the woods and into Langston's awaiting hands. He ran to the touchdown mark, dodging Adonis as he ran. "Touchdown! " I said as Adonis tripped and fell. I couldn't help but giggle at that. He noticed it and growled at me. A.J. ran over to him.

"Relax, Donny." she said and kissed him. As the game went on, I realized why they needed the thunder. When they tackled each other it was like the sound of boulders being pushed together. Chloe had the ball and threw it to Lysander. But A.J. was already on the scene. With her cat-like relaxes, she dove under Lysander, stealing the ball away.

"Look at my Cat woman." Adonis said smugly. Suddenly Langston stopped.

"HOLD IT!" he yelled. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at him. Then they all huddled by Elena and I.

"It's some nomads. They were almost out of town when they heard us." Langston said. Riley grabbed my hand.

"Let's move!" he said.

"Too late." Elena said. Riley thought of something.

"Adonis, give me your hat." Adonis scrunched up his face.

"Let's see…no." Adonis said.

"Look…" Riley said about to pounce.

"Guys, this isn't the time or the place. Adonis do it!" Elena said. Adonis took off his hat and threw it to Riley.

"Here." he said putting it securely on my head. I saw Adonis sniff the air.

"It doesn't work. I could smell him for miles." he said. Riley just rolled his eyes. I saw three of the nomads walk out of the foggy woods. And boy, did they look intimidating. I hid behind Riley.

"I really wish I wouldn't have brought you here." he said.

"Same here." Adonis said. Riley gave him a menacing look. We all walked up to the nomads. Riley and I stood a few feet behind.

"I'm assuming that this football is yours?" the African vampire said with a hint of an African accent. He tossed the ball to Lysander.

"Thanks." he said.

"My name is Vince. This is Jay." He said pointing to a black haired vampire. "And Alex." The woman looked pretty damn tough. All three of them had piercing red eyes. I pretty much knew what they fed on. Humans.

"Well, I'm Lysander and this is my family." Lysander said.

"Hello to all of you." They all said.

"Your um, hunting ways have caused sort of a problem for us. You see this is our territory." Elena said.

"My deepest regrets. We didn't know about the arrangements." Vince said. The woman, Alex, just stared at me. I had a bad feeling about this.

"Yeah, we have a residence nearby. We plan on staying permanently." Lysander said.

"No problem. We were just taking a short cut." Vince said.

"There were some humans tracking us, but uh, I led them east. So you should be okay." Jay said.

"Glorious." Elena said.

"Okay, so I was wondering if we could join the game." Vince asked. Everyone became uneasy. "Just one game. I promise."

"I don't see why not." Lysander said. "Some of our players were on their way home anyway. So there's some openings." I looked up at Riley to see that his face was hard again. Lysander tossed the football to Vince, but Jay caught it.

"I have the most lethal spiral." he said.

"Ha! I'd love to see that." Chloe said.

"Alright then, let's do it." he said. As they begun to walk away Alex just stared at Riley and me. Right when she turned around, a rush of wind knocked my cap off. I caught it just in time to see Alex sniffing the air. Her eyes rolled in the back of her head. She turned around and faced us.

"How kind of you to offer an appetizer." she said as she headed towards us. All of a sudden both covens of vampires were standing in front of me. Elena held me back from the group.

"He's a human?" Vince asked. I watched as Riley and Alex had a stare down.

"Yeah, he's with us. Maybe you should go." Lysander said. Vince looked upset.

"Alright, we'll go." he said as they backed up. "Alex!" She just stared at Riley and then walked off. Jay the same expression on his face too as he joined his mate. I was pretty scared.

"Get Zane out of here." Lysander said, but Riley just watched as the nomads walked away. "Riley move." Riley and I headed towards the Hummer. When I got in, he tried to fasten my seat belt.

"Dude, I'm fine!" I yelled in a panic tone. Langston got in the truck with us. "So what is she coming after me?" Riley started the truck and sped off.

"Yes." he and Langston both said.


	14. Zoey Knows

**Chapter 14: Zoey Knows**

As I sat in the passenger seat, I looked over at Riley. His face was hard again. I noticed that Langston had his eyes closed.

"What's going on, Langston?" I asked.

"I'm trying to focus on Alex's decisions. She's definitely coming after you." he said sadly. I was horrified.

"I don't get it. What did I ever do to her?"

"Look, she's what we call a tracker. This means, she can track just about anything. Hunting to her is like a fixation. I read it in her mind. What I did in the field set her off. This will be her most challenging mission ever. She won't stop." Riley said.

"Until you're dead." Langston added. I began to panic.

"What's gonna happen now?" I asked.

"We have to kill her. If we rip up the pieces and burn them, she'll be dead." Riley said. Okay, gross. I sunk down in my seat. I can't believe this is happening. Everything was going just fine.

"So, what do we do in the mean time?" I asked.

"First, we have to get you out of here. We'll travel to the states." Riley said.

"No. I have to go back to my house. Now."

"That's not an option. She'll track your scent and she'll follow you there." Riley said.

"How can you be sure?"

"We would." Langston and Riley said in unison.

"Oh man. Look I don't care. We have to go back." I said.

"No, Zane." Riley said sternly.

"But my mom and sister are there. We…"

"That doesn't matter at the moment!" he roared. I couldn't believe it. Not the going back part, I was mad at that too, but he yelled at me.

"Yes the hell it does! They could get killed! And it would be because of us!" I yelled back. He looked conflicted.

"Just please, let me get you safe." he said pleading.

"Riley please." I said with my voice cracking. "They're my family. We have to go back. We'll deal with the tracker, but for now I have to protect my family." He looked at me with sad eyes.

"Okay. Anything for you." he said as he held my hand. Langston suddenly growled.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Ugh, I can't keep a steady eye on Alex. Her intentions are switching way too fast for me to see. If she could stick to one steady intention, I could see the path she'll be on." he said as he rubbed his temples. But so far, Zane going back home won't be a bad idea." Riley released my hand and gripped the steering wheel harder.

"I don't like this. I feel like I'm putting you in more danger. Riley said.

"No more than you already have." Langston said quietly. Riley snarled at him. "'Okay, okay! Sorry."

We arrived at my house. I looked around. I noticed that Zoey's car was there. This can't be good. I wonder if she's home or if anyone's home at the moment. I slowly got out of the truck.

"Is anyone home?" I asked them.

"Yeah, your mom. But Zoey isn't." Riley said.

"What do I do?"

"You have to find a way to leave. We'll be out here, doing surveillance." Langston said.

"No,_ you'll _be doing _that_. I'm going upstairs to help pack." Riley said as he disappeared.

"Wait!" I whispered. He then reappeared.

"I have an idea, but I don't think you're gonna like it." I smiled innocently. He leaned against the truck and listened. I made my way up to the door and opened it.

"Oh my god, Riley! I can't believe this!" I said as I entered the house. My mom was in the kitchen, but I heard her come out.

"Zane, come on." Riley pleaded.

"No I don't want to hear any more of this. It's OVER! Now go away!" I yelled as I slammed the door in his face and ran upstairs.

"Zane? What's wrong?" I heard my mom ask.

"I'm so out of here!" I said as I went into my bedroom. I closed the door behind me and saw Riley already beginning to pack my clothes.

"Hey, I hope I wasn't too harsh down there." I whispered.

"Not really. You were a very good actor." he said with a smile.

"Zane? Honey please open the door." my mom called out. I looked back at the door and sighed.

"What am I supposed to say to her?" I asked. "I can't and I won't hurt her."

"You have to improvise, love." he said and kissed me on the forehead. Ugh! Why'd he have to be so irresistible? We continued packing.

"Okay, vampire boy, I'll do what it takes." I said. He then scrunched up his face. "What is it?" I whispered.

"There's something wrong here." he said as he walked towards my closet. Could there be something in there? He opened the closet and Zoey fell out.

"Zoey!" I said. How the hell did they not know she was in my closet?

"Um, hey boys. I was just… um. Well there really isn't an excuse for this. But what the hell did you mean by vampire boy? And how did Riley get into a two-story window without a ladder? I want answers and I want them now." she said and crossed her arms.

"This isn't a good time." I said as walked over to my window. I looked out and saw Langston.

"Sorry! I didn't see her." he said. Sure he didn't.

"Now who's that?" she asked.

"Nothing." I said quickly.

"I heard that!" he said and appeared in my window. Zoey did a double take. "Hi, Langston. Your brother and I are good friends." Langston said as he introduced himself.

"Okay, now I'm confused. Please explain, Zane." she said. I looked over at Riley. He nodded his head.

"Okay, Riley and his family are vampires." I said. Zoey gave me that 'Are you out of your mind' look.

"Okay. Prove it." she said. I looked at Riley to see if he could read her mind. Riley then rubbed his temples.

"Ahh, it hurts." he said. We all just looked at him. "I can't hear anything." he said. I thought just my mind was impenetrable.

"So, you can't read any of their minds?" Langston asked.

"Only their mom's." he said. How interesting.

"Zane, Zoey? Is everything alright?" she asked.

"Yeah, we're fine." Zoey said.

"What's she doing now?" I asked Langston.

"She's still waiting. Her intention is to find out what's going on." he said. I thought of something.

"Wait, Riley can read minds?" Zoey asked. "That's so cool. But how does that make you a vampire?"

"Look, Zoey I'll explain this all to you later. I'm in danger right now and so are you and mom if I stay here." I said. Zoey just looked at me.

"Fine. Go, but I want you to call me A.S.A.P" she said.

"Okay, now back to the basics. You can never tell anyone this, okay?" I said.

"Fine." she said.

"Alright, I have to improvise something in order to get mom to let me leave." I said. Zoey smiled.

"One improvisation coming up. But just remember, anything I say don't take it to heart. Either of you." she said to all of us. I have to admit, she's taking this pretty well. "Zane, what're you doing? You can't just leave." she said with a wink. Riley and Langston smiled and leapt out the window. I gave her a hug and smiled at her.

"Yes I can!" I shouted.

"This isn't right. What about mom? What about me?" she said.

"Zoey just let me leave." I opened the door and went into the bathroom.

"What's happening?" my mom asked.

"It's Zane's relationship. It went south." Zoey said. I packed my toiletries and grabbed my bag. I walked by my mom.

"Did he do something to you?" she asked.

"Nope." I said with an attitude.

"Well, did he break up with you?"

"Jesus Christ! Would you get off my back! _I_ dumped _him_." I said and walked back into my room to get my keys.

"I thought you two liked each other." she said. Zoey just watched.

"We did and that's why I'm leaving. I can't handle this, so I'm going home." I said and walked downstairs.

"Home? We both know that your dad is in New York." she said.

"I explained that to him already." Zoey said as she followed mom downstairs.

"Yeah, I know that he isn't home. But he will once I call him." I said.

"You are not gonna drive all the way to California tonight. Just… sleep on it. If you still want to leave in the morning we'll take you to the airport." she said.

"Zane please stay here. Riley isn't worth leaving your home for." she said. That sort of stung a little. But I had to realize that it's fake.

"Whatever." I said as I walked into the kitchen. "I'm leaving tonight. Besides if I drive then it'll give me some time to think about things. If I get sleepy, I'll pull over." I said.

"Look, sweetie. I understand that you're hurting now. But it will get better. Maybe we could all do some family stuff together." she said hopeful.

"I don't know about all that." Zoey whispered quietly.

"Really, like what? Sitting here watching you and Trevor watch the game all the time? Going to the Dot and watching you eat that unhealthy garbage. Yeah, that's something you would do, not me." I said as I walked to the door.

"Zane, I just got you and your sister back in my life. I feel that I'm whole again with you two here." she said sadly. I felt my eyes burning. I knew I would have to use the big guns.

"You know mom, you are so clingy! Now I know why dad divorced you!" I shouted and walked out. I got in my truck and drove off. This isn't the life I expected at all.

**A/N: Okay here's chapter 14. It's kind of a filler and part of the story. I wanted to add a twist and so now Zoey knows the truth about Riley and his family. More to come soon. Read and Review. XOXO ShadowBeauty.**


	15. On the Run

**Chapter 15: On the Run**

As I drove down the street with tears in my eyes, all I could think about was my mom. The look on her face would haunt me for the rest of my life. I couldn't believe I told her that. As I was deep in thought Riley and Langston appeared in the bed of the truck. I gasped because I had no idea they were back there.

"Hey, sorry to scare you like that." Riley said. "Here, let me take over." I scooted over into the passenger seat and let Riley take the wheel. Langston leaned on my seat.

"Look, she'll forgive you." he said with a smile.

"No she won't. You didn't see her face. I told her that she was clingy. The exact words my dad used when he left her." I said as the tears spilled over. Riley reached over and caressed my face.

"That was the only way she'd let you leave." he said. "But it's okay. Alex is following us now. So your mom and Zoey will be safe." Just then a loud bang caught my attention. "It's just A.J." I looked back and saw A.J. in the bed of the truck prepared for battle with Langston. As we rode by the Dot, I saw Imogen, Connor, Marisol, K.C., and Jake. They all looked so happy. I turned away and slouched down in my seat. We arrived at Riley's house and sat there.

"Look, I know this is hard for you. If you never want to see me again after this, I'll completely understand." Riley said sadly. I looked into his eyes.

"No, I'm not leaving. We're in this together." I said with a slight smile. He took my hand and kissed it.

"Together." he said and then we got out. We entered the house and saw Vince walking with Elena. Riley held me back and hissed at him.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, relax. He's just here to help. Here him out." she said. I just looked at him.

"Okay, look this is not my idea of a game. I'm not in this fight. But I have to warn you. Alex's abilities are extremely lethal. I haven't seen a vampire like her in all of the 400 years of my existence. And the boy, Jay? Please don't underrate him." He said and left. We all then walked to the garage. I saw Chloe putting on her gloves.

"Their kind, I've fought before. Killing them won't be effortless." she said.

"But it isn't unachievable either." A.J. said with a smile.

"There you go, Arabella, always looking for a fight." Adonis said.

"Got that right babe." she said and passionately kissed him.

"Ugh, come on guys! Focus!" Riley said.

"We'll tear her apart and burn the pieces." Chloe said. The thought of that made me nauseous.

"I don't really enjoy the thought of killing someone. Even someone merciless like Alex." Elena said.

"Don't worry dear. Everything will work out fine." Lysander said. Elena hugged him and continued preparing to leave.

"Hold up. What if she kills one of us before we can get to her?" Adonis asked. Riley growled at him.

"Then make sure that doesn't happen then!" Riley said sarcastically. "I'm gonna take Zane to California. Can you lead Alex away from here?"

"No, that's a bad idea. She knows about your tight bond with Zane. She'll just follow you." Elena said.

"I've got it! Why don't Chloe and I take her to Cali?" Langston asked. Everyone thought for a moment.

"That's actually a good idea." Chloe said quietly. "I mean if she thinks Zane's with Riley and she travels a different course, she'll fall into an ambush and Zane will still be safe."

"Ugh, can't you two keep your thoughts hidden?" Riley asked.

"Yes, we can. We'll take good care of him." Langston said and led me to Elena's Lincoln Lacrosse. I got in and watched Riley throw my jacket to Lysander and Adonis.

"Here guys, I need you two to wear these. That way, the tracker will catch on to Zane's scent and follow you instead." he said. Adonis caught the jacket and stared at it. He and Riley had an intense stare down.

"Why? Why should I care what happens to him? What relation is he to me?" Adonis asked with a smirk. Riley just stared at him menacingly. I feared that a fight was about to break out, but luckily Elena thought ahead.

"Look Adonis, Zane and Riley are together. Like it or not. He's a part of the family now and we watch over our family. Now if you don't like it, feel free to leave." Elena said as she held out the jacket. Adonis reluctantly took it and walked over to A.J.'s Hummer. Riley walked over the car I was in and leaned in the window.

"Oh god. What if? If anything… If something happens…" I stammered. Riley put his hand on my face.

"Everything's gonna be fine." he said.

"You don't know that." I said.

"It's like someone once said, 'You're right. I don't. But that doesn't stop me from loving you any less.' " he said with a smile. I gave him a quizzical look.

"What does that have to do with this?" I asked. He rolled his eyes.

"I was just trying to make you smile. And it worked." he said. I blushed; he always knew how to make me smile. "Look, there are all of us against two of them. And when everything's over, I'll find you. You are my _world _now. As in my life." he said as he leaned down and kissed me. He pulled back and smiled. The garage door opened and we were off. I watched as Riley disappeared into the background.

It took a day and 16 hours but we finally made it to L.A. Lucky for us it was raining outside so, Langston and Chloe's skin wouldn't sparkle. I had called my dad, so he knew what was 'going on'. We pulled into a Hilton hotel and quickly exited the vehicle. The lobby looked very nice. I watched as Chloe checked us in.

"Alright. Come on." she said as we took the elevator to our room. Once we were settled in, I sat down and watched a movie.

"Ugh, not _The Little Vampire_." Chloe sighed.

"I happen to like this movie. It's good natured. Plus it calms my nerves." I said feeling relaxed.

"Actually, that's me." Chloe said. I honestly didn't care. I was just glad that I wasn't scared anymore.

"Thanks, Chloe." I said. She nodded her head. Once the movie was over I went into my room to lie on my bed. I began to think about all the things that were going on. I really hoped that my mother would forgive me. As I was thinking, Langston came into the room.

"Hey dude, you feelin' okay?" he asked.

"Not really. I was just thinking about everything that's happened. And the things that are going to happen." I said. Langston then came over and sat beside me.

"I understand that you're scared. But everything will be just fine. I've seen it. Don't go thinking about everything that's happened or what's currently going on. It'll drive you insane." he chuckled.

"You're right. I should calm down." I said. We got up and walked into the living room.

"I see you're feeling better." Chloe said.

"Yeah. I just have to relax." I said as I sat down and watched some T.V. All of a sudden, Langston had this blank stare on his face. "What's wrong?" I asked. He didn't answer. Chloe was instantly beside him.

"What do you see?" she asked. Langston blinked a couple of times.

"She just changed paths." he said.

"Where's she headed?" Chloe asked. Langston rubbed his temples.

"Um, I see pictures. A hall full of pictures." he said. That's when it hit me.

"She's going to this museum." I said. They both looked at me.

"You've been there?" Langston asked.

"Yeah, I used to go there when I was a kid." I explained.

"Is this museum located here?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah, it should be. But how can you be so sure that she's going there? Riley said that the visions weren't 100% certain."

"But I see the intentions of the people. If the intentions change, so do the visions." Langston said.

"So her path is going to lead her to that old museum?" I asked.

"So far, yes." he said. Just then, my phone rang.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hey Zane." Riley said. I took a breath of relief.

"Are you okay Riley?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. We lost her, Zane. The other guy, Jay is still around. But Adonis and Lysander are going back to Toronto to keep an eye on your mom and Zoey." he said.

"Okay." I said.

"I'm on my way to get you. And then we'll disappear for a while. Just you and me. My family will keep searching. Whatever it takes to make sure you're safe, I'll do it." he said.

"Alright. I'll go start packing." I said.

"See you soon, I love you." he said.

"And I love you." I said and hung up. When I turned around Langston and Chloe had their bags.

"We'll be downstairs if you need us." Chloe said and left with Langston. I went into my room and began to pack. While doing so, my phone rang.

"Hey dad. I'm glad you got my message." I said.

"Zane, Zane, where'd you go?" he asked. I knew he was worried.

"I'm fine dad, don't worry." I reassured him.

"Zane!" he said again.

"Relax. I'll give you most of the details later." I said. Then suddenly, I heard some noise on the other line. "Dad?"

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" A female voice said. Alex.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"It's quite simple. I want you. You know? Your school doesn't really protect you. Jay found that out. He also found out where you recently lived." she said with a giggle. I just rolled my eyes.

"Get to the point." I said angrily.

"Ooh, touchy. You might not wanna catch an attitude with me." she said.

"What are you…?" I then heard a voice.

"Zane!" my dad called out.

"You have my dad!" I almost yelled.

"Yep. You see he came home after your mother called him. I was gonna meet you here but I figured, why not take daddy instead." she said.

"Don't hurt him!" I pleaded.

"No problem. But you have to do something for me." she purred.

"What?" I asked.

"Ditch your friends."

"Where will I meet you?" I asked.

"That old museum you used to go to." she said.

"Fine. I'll be there soon." I said.

"And don't forget, I'll know if you decide to bring your friends. Your dad will suffer for that." she said.

"I'll be there." I said and hung up. How the hell would I get past Langston? I sat down and began to think. He said that if the intention changes, the vision changes. Well my intention is to go with them. But if I change it at the last minute I can get out of there. Hopefully Langston will see that and they'll come find me. I packed the rest of my bags and went downstairs.

"Okay guys, I'm ready." I said.

"Alright. Langston can you help me with these?" Chloe asked.

"Oh wait, I left something upstairs. I'll be right back." I said as I turned the corner. I quickly managed to escape and got a cab. I told the old man the directions and then we left. I sunk down in my seat and began to think about all the ways I could die. This Alex person is really going to kill me. But as long as I was saving my father, I didn't care about me. I know I can't change the past. But hopefully I could change the future. The decisions I've made will probably be my ultimate downfall, but at least one of those decisions brought me Riley. I could see him now. His beautiful face and golden eyes. It nearly killed me to know that I'd never seen them again after tonight. And my mom and sister, god what would they think? As we pulled up to the museum, I paid the cab driver and made my way towards the building. I pulled out my Taser that I had snuck out of my suitcase. I hit the button to make sure it worked. _Buzzzz!_ Good it worked. I entered the building and walked around.

When I got to the showcase room, which was the biggest room there, I heard a voice coming from behind a curtain. I ran as fast as my human legs could carry me. I stopped and looked back to see if Alex was there yet, but she wasn't. All I saw was the moonlight shining through the skylight of the museum.

"Zane!" the voice said.

"Dad!" I called out. I threw open the curtain to see a T.V. with my face on it. I couldn't have been no more than 10 years old.

"Zane, where'd you go?" My dad said again.

"I thought that this piece was far more exciting than that boring kid's section." my ten year old self said. My dad came over to me and picked me up.

"So wise beyond his years isn't he?" he asked my mom.

"He sure is." she said proudly.

"This place is boring. Can we go now?" 11 year old Zoey asked. I remember this. My mom had recorded this when we first went to the museum. I had decided to look at the more intriguing pieces of art that day and wondered off. Suddenly the tape cut off and I was looking at my current self.

"It seems to me that someone was very adventurous." a voice said. I turned around to see Alex walking from behind a pillar. I backed up against the wall. "I love that part. You were so cute." she said. Oh my god, she tricked me.

"He's not even here is he? You tricked me." I said. She grabbed my shoulder and pinned me up against the wall.

"Yeah, I know. But hey, think of it this way, if you would have saved him, he would've had to watch you die. Now what fun would that be?" she asked as she caressed my face. "Now we're gonna have some fun. We're gonna make a little movie." she then held up a video camera. "So I stole this from your house, along with the video. I knew you wouldn't mind." She then held the camera up to my face. "Action." I felt so uncomfortable. She then began to laugh. "Oh, this will nearly kill Riley." I suddenly felt the courage to stand up to her.

"You wouldn't… Leave Riley out of this!" I yelled and tried to get free, but she pushed me back harder this time.

"Oh, now you know I can't do that. It wouldn't be much of a game if I backed out. You see, with his useless attempt to rescue you, he'll fail. And by seeing this, it will piss him off to the point to where the game will be 10 times as fun. Now if you don't mind?" she said. I slowly pulled out the Taser.

"Actually…" I hit the button, "I do!" I hit her neck and ran. As I tried to run to the door she appeared in front of me. She grabbed my neck and threw me into a pillar. My head bounced of the pillar extremely hard. I turned over and reach for the back of my head. When I looked at my hand it was bloody. Oh, great. I'm bleeding and there's a vampire in the room. Could this get any worse?

"Oh my god. This is so picturesque. You look great on camera." she said as she approached me. I tried to hide my hand but she caught me. She held it in her hand and looked at it deeply. "Riley really should have changed you. But he obviously didn't have the strength. That's too bad." she said as she stood up. She looked at me and smiled. Then her foot came crashing down on my leg. All I heard was the bones cracking.

"AHHHH!" I screamed out loud.

"Yeah, tell him how excruciating the pain is!" she yelled. I shook my head and continued to groan. "Tell him to seek vengeance for you!"

"No! Riley don't do anything!" I warned him.

"Tell him now!" Alex growled. Then all of a sudden, she was thrown backwards. I looked over and saw Riley. He looked at me as if he was in pain. We looked at each for a while until Alex grabbed Riley and pinned him up against the wall.

"I see that you're alone. Obviously because you're the fastest one in your group." she said and then slammed his head up against the wall, knocking off a chunk of it. "But are you stronger than they are?" Riley grabbed Alex's hands and kicked her in the gut causing her to fly back and land on a glass case.

"Yeah I'm strong. Strong enough to kill you for hurting him!" Riley roared. He ran over to me and picked me up. "I'm _so _sorry." He said as he jumped for the balcony. But Alex caught him in midair and slammed him down to the ground, causing me to go through a glass case and land on the ground too. I saw her grab Riley's leg again and threw him towards the skylight. I instantly felt pain in my leg and saw that I hand a large shard of glass in it. I carefully pulled it out and threw it to the ground. I did what I had seen on the medical shows and tried to put pressure on the wound. When I looked up again, I saw Alex leaning over me. She leaned down and grabbed my hand. I looked at Riley who was tangled in the skylight. Alex then bit me. As the pain sunk in, Riley pushed Alex off of me before she completely drained my blood. I began to feel a burning sensation in my wrist. As I flopped around like a fish, I still managed to watch Riley and Alex. He had her pinned up against the wall and ripped out what looked like a chunk of her neck. I closed my eyes and when I opened them, Langston was leaning over me.

"Hey, we're here now. Don't worry. But next time, give us a little warning letting us know what you're about to do." he said with a smile. A.J. and Chloe were taking care of Alex. While Elena and Riley came over to me.

"He's losing a lot of blood." Elena said.

"I know I'll go take care of Alex with the others. I don't know if I could handle being that close to his blood." Langston said.

"Alright, go. We'll deal with this." Elena said. Langston got up and went over to his sisters and tore off Alex's head. I screamed in pain, because the burning was getting worse.

"Oh god. His femoral artery has been detached." Elena said.

"No, that's not what's causing me pain. It's my wrist!" I yelled out.

"It' the venom." Riley said.

"Well, now it's time for you to choose. You could let the change continue." Elena said.

"No, I won't do this to him." Riley said as he held on to his stomach. He looked like he was gonna be sick. "No."

"Dude, it's gonna happen one way or another. I've already seen it." Langston said as he came back over to us.

"It's doesn't necessarily have to be that way." Riley said.

"Jesus Christ, he's hemorrhaging. Langston give me your bandana. We'll make a tourniquet with it. Here tie it just above my hands." Elena instructed.

"Mom, what's my other option?" Riley asked.

"There we go, that should do it." Elena said.

"Mom!" Riley said. Langston looked like he lost his concentration for a moment.

"Go, go help your sisters with the fire." she said. I looked to my left and saw A.J. and Chloe throwing what was left of Alex's body into a pit of flames.

"We could suck the venom out. I believe that should help." Elena said.

"You of all people know that I won't be able to stop." Riley said.

"It's either that or let the change happen!" Elena snapped. "You're running out of time. He only has 3 minutes left." she said. I screamed out in pain again. Riley leaned down and kissed my forehead.

"I'm gonna make things right, Zane. I promise. I'm gonna make the pain disappear." Riley said with a sad smile. I trusted him to do the right thing. He leaned down and bit where Alex had bitten me. As he began to suck out the venom, I began to feel at ease. The pain actually started to go away.

"Alright Riley, his blood is clean. You can stop now." Elena said. But Riley had a firm grip on my arm. "Riley stop or you'll kill him!" But Riley didn't listen. His frenzy had taken over. I could feel the life draining from me.

"Riley, you're stronger than this. Find the strength to stop." Elena said. I began to fade in and out. But the last thing I saw was Riley letting go of my arm. And then darkness surrounded me.

**A/N: Okay peeps, this took a while to write but here it is. The next chapter will be the last, but certainly not the last of the series. The Ziley Chronicles is a Trilogy. For now. I hope you guys like it. Read and Review. And Meagan, let me know if you see any mistakes. XOXO ShadowBeauty. **


	16. I Know What I Want

**Chapter 16: I Know What I Want**

I began to gain consciousness. The first person I saw was my dad. I fluttered my eyes a few times, so they could get focused.

"Dad?" I said. He rubbed my forehead.

"I'm here son. Don't worry." he said. I could tell he was tired. He must've been here for quite a while.

"Where's-where's Riley?" I asked. He smiled and pointed to Riley lying down on the couch. He looked so peaceful.

"He's a real keeper, considering that he never leaves." my dad said. "Oh, your mom, Zoey, and Layla are down in the waiting room." I rubbed my head. I couldn't really remember what happened. It was like a blur.

"What happened?" I asked. Dad sat on the edge of the bed and held my hand.

"Well, Riley said that he and his mom came down to find you. They wanted you to come back to Toronto with them. But you took off and was hit by a car. It was a hit and run. You broke your leg, which resulted in you losing a lot of blood. You don't remember a thing do you?" I shook my head. I thought for a moment. It did seem like a logical explanation. But why didn't I believe it? I heard his phone vibrate. My dad was actually sending out a text.

"You're texting?" I asked.

"Don't think that just because I'm your father that I don't keep up with the trends." he said with a smile. "It was just Layla. She asked if you were awake." I wanted so bad to pull the prongs out of my nose. I reached up to do just that when my dad stopped me. "No don't do that. Those are there for a reason."

"Alright." I said.

"I wanted to tell you that we got a house in New York. Oh man, you're gonna love it there. It's big just like the celebrities and very spacious." He said.

"Wait, hold on dad. I still want to live with mom." I said.

"What?"

"I said, I still want to live with mom." He patted my non-broken leg.

"Okay son. It's your choice." I smiled at him and yawned.

"Can you go get mom. There's some things we need to talk about." I said. He smiled and left. I looked over at Riley to see that he was fully awake. I knew he was faking.

"You're finally awake." he said as he flew over to me. I tried to sit up and he fluffed my pillow.

"Where's Alex?" I asked. I tried to remember, but I kept getting a blurred vision. Riley sat on my bed.

"Don't worry, we handled it. The guy, Jay? Well he's gone." he said sadly.

"Don't look so sad. I'm grateful for what you did. If you hadn't, I wouldn't be here right now." I said as I caressed his face. He grabbed my hand and held it.

"You also wouldn't be in this hospital right now if it wasn't for me. You'd be out there living a normal life." he said. I didn't like where this was going. "And to top it off, I almost killed you. I couldn't stop..."

"But you did. Don't beat yourself up over this." I said sternly.

"I think you should go to New York with your dad. At least there, I won't be able to put you in danger anymore." he said. I just stared at him. He actually wanted me to go? I suddenly felt dizzy. It was as if I had lost the ability to speak correctly.

"Wha…? Are you…? NO! N-no! How could you even thi-? You… you want me to ju-just… up and leave? I can't believe you'd say something like that! I can't.. no I won't leave you! What? I don't understand! I-I…" The whole time I was stammering, he looked like he was in sheer pain.

"I understand how you must be feeling." he said.

"No, you don't. We're in too deep, Riley. You can't just leave me. We've been through too much! We can't be apart!" I screeched.

"Don't worry, I'll be here." he said as he rubbed my hand. I knew I was worked up and so l gently laid back down.

"You have to realize something Riley, you can never say something like that to me. I don't think my heart could take it." I said on the verge of tears. He leaned down and kissed my forehead.

"Where else do you think I'd go?" he asked.

"I don't care, as long as I'm with you." I said firmly. He smiled and got in the bed with me. I felt so complete with him by my side.

Over the next couple of weeks, I got out of the hospital and explained everything to Zoey, so we could get our 'story' right for mom. My mother did forgive me, but Riley was on her list for sure. I made Zoey swear not to tell anyone about my boyfriend or his family.

"Don't worry, I'll keep it a secret. But there's just one thing that I want you to do for me, Riley." she said.

"And what would that be?" he asked with a sly smile.

"Well, I want to meet your family too. I feel as though you're already part of our family. So I feel that it would only be right for me to be included in yours. Since I know about the big secret." she said hopeful. Riley smiled and put his arm around her.

"Welcome to the family." he said.

It was the day of prom and since we were doing the Masquerade theme, everybody had to wear masks. I suppose it was fun, but it's not what I wanted to be doing. Langston had a vision of what type of suit I'd be wearing and bought one. I had to admit, he was pretty savvy when it came to fashion. Probably because of their friends Kurt and Blaine. As I descended down the stairs, I was met by Riley, Zoey, and my mom.

"Okay, so how do I look?" I asked as I showed of my black designer tuxedo. Riley's matched mine, but his was a navy blue.

"Absolutely stunning." Riley said. My mom just gave him a cold stare. Zoey smiled and rubbed mom's shoulders. Zoey had on a long sleeve black backless dress.

"Yes, you do like pretty cool bro." Zoey said and grabbed her jacket. We kissed mom and left. But before I could fully leave, she whispered in my ear.

"You do look very handsome. Just like your father." she said with tears in her eyes. I hugged her and walked out the door. Well, more like limped. You see, I had to wear this boot, because of my leg. The whole ride over there I just complained.

"God, this thing itches." I said trying to reach an annoying itch. Riley just smiled while he drove. I could hear Zoey giggling in the back.

"So Zane, how do you expect to dance?" she asked.

"Oh, I got that covered." Riley said and grinned even wider. We pulled up to the school and Zoey helped me out. "I'll be back." Riley said as he went to go park his car. I sat on the bench.

"I can wait for him alone, you know?" I said to Zoey.

"Oh, look at you! All grown up and with a perfect boyfriend." she said as she hugged me.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah I know. Go be with your friends, I'll be in, in a minute." I said. She smiled and took off for the building. I was waiting for Riley, when I saw Owen come out of the school.

"Hey Zane." Owen said as he came over and sat beside me.

"Hi." I said. "You come with a date?" I asked. Man did I sound eager, I hope he doesn't misconstrue that in any way.

"Um, no. I decided to just hang out with my friends instead. Besides, no one around here is really my type." he said with a smile.

"Oh, well don't worry, you'll find that special someone soon." I said as I playfully nudged his shoulder. He smiled and then looked a little distraught. "What is it?"

"Um, try not to get mad, okay?" I nodded for him to continue. "My dad wants you to dump Riley." I arched an eyebrow. I wonder why he would want me to do that.

"Why?" I asked, trying not to sound too agitated. Owen just shrugged his shoulders.

"I honestly don't know. But I wouldn't pay too much attention to him anyway." he said. I just nodded my head. I tried to stand up on my own, but failed miserably. Luckily Owen caught me in the nick of time. I looked into his blue eyes and saw something. I'm not quite sure what it was, but I knew it was something.

"Uh, thanks." I said. Riley then walked over and took me from Owen.

"I'll handle it from here." Riley said with a smile that had a threatening tone. Owen kind of glowered at him.

"Well, I hope you have fun, both of you. See you later Zane." he said and entered the building. I looked at Riley's face. It was hard.

"Wow, someone's jealous." I said trying to break the ice. He quickly looked at me and smiled.

"No.. it's just that, I leave you alone for a few minutes and the dogs' arrive." he said as we walked towards the school. We put on our masks and walked through the crowd. I saw all of my friends there having fun. It was a joyous sight. I suddenly felt nervous. I didn't really like being in crowds too much. Riley sensed my change in posture and leaned down to whisper in my ear.

"I have a surprise for you." he said as he led me out of the building. I looked at Zoey who lifted up her mask and winked. I had no idea what was going on, but obviously she did. We went back outside and headed towards the woods behind the school.

"Where are we going?" I asked. He just smiled. He put me on his back and began running. Within minutes we were in our forest. It was more beautiful than before. It was lit up with lights.

"This is what I wanted to show you." he said as I got off of his back. I looked around in awe.

"I can't believe this. It's gorgeous." I said.

"I knew you'd like it. Zoey helped me plan the whole thing." Riley said. So that's what she was up to. He came up behind me and turned me around.

"Let's dance." he said. I looked at him in utter horror.

"You're joking right?" I asked. Please say yes.

"Nope." he said. Damn. He held my hand and I put my other hand on his shoulder. He lifted me up just enough to where I was standing on his feet. As we glided across the forest floor, we stared into each other's eyes.

"Wow, I'm actually dancing." I said.

"Yep and at prom." he said sarcastically. I blushed. He was so cute sometimes.

"You know, if you hadn't saved me, I could've been like you." I said.

"You have no idea what you're talking about." he said as we moved slowly. "This isn't something you really want."

"How would you know?" I asked him.

"Because I do." he replied.

"I want you, forever." I said.

"I won't end your life. You have too much to live for." he said.

"I'm already dead. Well, not technically. But I'm closer to death every minute of every day." I said.

"That's how it's meant to be."

"But Langston said he saw it happening. I was gonna be like you."

"Yeah, but the visions change." he said.

"I know, but if it's my choice, then the vision will come true." I said.

"So that's your wish? Becoming a killer? A monster?" he asked.

"If that's what it takes to be with you forever, then yes." I said.

"Forever?" he said as he caressed my face. I nodded my head yes. I could see that he was struggling. I slowly leaned my head back. "You're ready already?"

"Yes." I said and leaned back some more, so that my neck was visible. He leaned me back and leaned towards my neck. I closed my eyes and awaited his arrival. But when he reached my neck, he didn't bite it, he kissed it gently. He pulled back and smiled.

"Can't you just live a long life with me and be happy?" he asked. I leaned back up so that I could face him.

"Fine, but that will only last for now." I said. He just laughed.

"Okay, for now." he said. We moved around on the forest floor for a few minutes. Riley reached for the back of my head and leaned down to kiss me. We kissed for a few minutes and then continued to dance. I hope he realizes that this isn't over. Surrendering tonight isn't an option. And of course, I won't give up. I know what I want. And I plan on getting it. I looked at him again, as we stared at each other, it was then that I realized that this is perfect. It couldn't get much more perfect than this. I leaned in for another kiss and was met with his cold lips once again.

**The End**

**A/N: Well this is the end. But have no fear, the second part in the series will be up soon. So don't worry. I left some hints in about what's coming up. I hope you catch them. I really hope you guys like the ending. I worked really hard on it. Read and Review. And Meagan darling, let me know if you see any mistakes. I love all of you. And remember Non-members can review too. XOXO ShadowBeauty.**


	17. Cast of First Blush

_**Cast of First Blush**_

_**Alright everyone here's the cast of my first story. As of 8/18/12 Adonis will be played by Derek Theler. I thinks he's hot and he's the perfect image of Adonis. And Pauly will now be Mike Pauly Dallas. **_

_**Zane Park- Shannon Kook-Chun **_

_**Riley Stavros- Argiris Karras **_

_**Zoey Park- Janel Parrish**_

_**Owen Milligan- Daniel Kelly **_

_**Lysander Stavros- Eric Dane **_

_**Elena Stavros- Katherine Heigl **_

_**Langston Stavros- Shane Harper**_

_**Arabella ( A.J.) Martin- Briana Evigan**_

_**Adonis Stavros- Derek Theler **_

_**Chloe Stavros- Brittany Robertson**_

_**Kim Park- Thandie Newton**_

_**Con Park- B.D. Wong**_

_**Layla Jenson-Park- Aja Warren**_

_**Connor DeLaurier- A.J. Saudin **_

_**David "Dave" Turner- Jahmil French**_

_**Andrew "Drew" Torres- Luke Bilyk**_

_**Imogen Moreno- Christine Prosperi **_

_**Jake Martin- Justin Kelly**_

_**Jenna Middleton- Jessica Tyler **_

_**Katie Matlin- Chloe Rose**_

_**K.C. Guthrie- Sam Earle **_

_**Marisol Lewis- Shanice Banton**_

_**Winnie Oh- Cory Lee **_

_**Coach Armstrong- Michael Kinney**_

_**Vince- Brendan Jeffers **_

_**Jay- Mike Lobel**_

_**Alex- Deanna Casaluce **_

_**Trevor Milligan- Gerard Butler**_

_**Tristan Milligan- Matt Prokop**_

_**Mike 'Pauly' Dallas- Demetrius Joyette**_

_**Hannah Belmont-Sami Folliott**_

_**Mo Mashkour- Jake Neayem**_

_**A/N: Here's the cast list for the first Story. I hope you like my choices. I just felt that they all fit my mold of who I want the characters to be. The list will get longer as the story progresses. Now if you don't see a character on the list that's in the story, let me know. And Yes, I am going to finish my other stories, So no worries. XOXO ShadowBeauty.**_


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